


Lessons in Empathy

by AsherWritesAStory



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Background Relationships, Craig is clueless, Creek AU, Demigods, Falling In Love, Hades!Craig, Hercules!Clyde, Hermes!Kenny, Implied Sexual Content, It gets a little sad, Love Confessions, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, kind of, no beta we die like men, persephone!tweek, trigger warning: panic attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2019-10-14 16:21:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 28,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17511914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsherWritesAStory/pseuds/AsherWritesAStory
Summary: “Name's Craig... or Hades, God of the Underworld. But you can call me either, I don’t mind.”— —Sometimes life throws you curveballs. And sometimes sucker punches. Life expected you to go with the flow and to accept things for what they were.So when a mysterious stranger appears in Tweek’s life he can’t help but be intrigued and captivated by him.And better yet he can’t believe that he found himself infatuated with a God... and the God of the Underworld no less.Things just got a little bit more confusing and complicated in his everyday normal, boring life.





	1. Cold As Hell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Galaxybean](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galaxybean/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my main and my writing Tumblr accounts : 
> 
> Main : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://asherwritesastory.tumblr.com/

It was freezing. Beyond freezing actually. He was in a building that had the heat on and he was still feeling like an icebox.

Every few minutes he would shiver and readjust himself in his hoodie to try and get warm again.

He should’ve probably paced himself with his coffee intake considering his thermos was empty and it had been for the past thirty minutes.

He had to make it through another hours worth of class and he was pretty sure he was going to die.

The professor was so monotone and the class itself was just boring in general. He wished he didn’t need to be here but it was a requirement for his major.

Was college even worth it? He would be in debt for years and who was to say he would even actually get a job in the field he wanted to work in even with the acquired degree.

He yawned for what seemed like the upteenth time this day before before mindlessly flipping through his textbook to the page he managed to hear his professor say.

He rested his head in his palm and closed his eyes. He was still listening but it was getting much more difficult as the minutes passed by.

“Can you believe this guy?” He was nudged awake by the person who was sitting to his left.

He opened his eyes and sat up quickly before blinking and looking at the person who had jolted him awake.

“Huh?”

“This guy, our professor.”

He was taken aback. For the life of him he couldn’t recall ever seeing this guy in class before… and he would certainly remember a face like his.

Striking blue eyes, tanned skin, black hair, a small scar above his upper lip and a cute little side smile.

Everything about this man was making Tweek’s heart beat a mile a minute and he couldn’t stop staring.

“I-“ he looked away and bit his lip, “do I know you?” He looked back and raised a brow while trying to hide the blush that was creeping up on his face.

Was that too straightforward to say? Better yet, was it too rude? Why was he saying this to a cute guy?

“Oh,” he gave his goofy smile again and a slight chuckle, “my name is Craig.”

_Craig._

He would certainly have to remember that.

“I’m Tweek.”

The blonde could see Craig looking him up and down before relaxing against the back of his chair and twirling a pencil between his fingers.

“I- are you new? I feel like I would remember your face.”

_Smooth Tweek._

__

__

_Really fucking smooth._

“Just transferred. My dad said it would be a good for me to apply myself and go to college so here I am… applying myself and going to college.”

He chuckled again, the pencil stopping between his fingers.

“I don’t know what he thinks it’s going to accomplish though… I don’t need college to accomplish my goals, you know?”

To a certain degree, Tweek understood what Craig meant completely. But at the same time, he also didn’t fully grasp what Craig was trying to say at all.

“What do you-“

“Mr. Tweak please pay attention, this information is going to be on your midterm.”

Tweek’s eyes darted forward and he saw his professor staring at him, as well as a few other students in the lecture hall.

And with all the eyes looking at him he slumped down at his desk and tried to hide in his hoodie.

Well… this was embarrassing.

He could hear Craig laugh slightly before writing something in his notebook. Tweek heard paper ripping and then he saw Craig place something on his desk.

He glanced over at Craig and quickly grabbed the paper and, in handwriting he could hardly read, saw the words ‘I’m sorry.’

He felt his lips turn up into a smile and he saw Craig smile back at him before turning his attention forward. So Tweek followed suit, taking a page out of Craig’s book and trying his best to continue to focus on the lecture that could easily put him to sleep.

And if it wasn’t for Craig he swear he would’ve.

He had no idea what was happening half the time and the other half the time he wanted to just stare at the black haired man sitting next to him.

“That’s it for today, I’ll see you all again next week for your midterm.”

Tweek let out a sigh and hurriedly collected his things, shoving them into his bag without an absolute care in the world.

Hell, he even put the little note Craig wrote him into his bag as well.

It’s not like he wanted to leave but he really did want to leave. He wanted to go back to his dorm room and study for all of his midterms. He wanted to go back to his dorm and call someone to tell them about the guy he had just met.

His head was spinning. There was a whole lot that had happened today and he needed to unwind.

Tweek couldn’t recall a time he had moved so quickly through the hallways and through the other students. He wanted to get out, he was overwhelmed and it felt like he had just been hit by a goddamn freight train.

Upon exiting the lecture hall he was greeted with snow. And a lot of it. A whole lot more than was there when he got up this morning. 

He also wasn’t expecting to see Craig sitting on a bench just holding a snowball in his hand, intently staring at it as if his life depending on it.

“Craig…?”

He approached with caution as to not freak him out. But instead he was greeted with a crooked grin and a small wave.

So Tweek took that as an invite. He made his way over and sat down, looking at the snowball Craig was holding and staring at so intensely.

“What’re you, uh, what’re you doing?”

“What is this?”

That caught Tweek off guard. The fact that Craig was asking him what snow was was such a foreign concept to him. Tweek has grown up around the snow, he was accustomed to it by now.

“It’s called snow Craig…”

“Snow…”

He heard Craig mumble under his breath before squeezing the snowball in his fingers and watching it fall apart.

“It’s cold.”

“Well yeah… do you not have snow where you’re from?”

“It’s really hot where I live…”

Oh. Well it was all starting to make sense to him now. This was all new to him, and he was experiencing it all for the first time. 

Tweek’s eyes lit up and the corners of his mouth tugged up to a wide smile.

Craig stared at him, raising an eyebrow and letting the rest of the snow in his hand fall down to his feet. “What? Why are you smiling like that?”

“Snow is wonderful… I mean sure it’s cold as hell but it’s beautiful.”

Craig chucked as if he was uncomfortable before kicking the toe of his boot into the fluffiness on the ground, “cold as hell you say? Hell is pretty hot…”

“It’s- it’s just an expression.”

Oh.

A silence overcame the two of them as Tweek looked up at the sky and saw flakes falling to the ground. He held out a hand palm up and gathered a little in his hand before throwing it in Craig’s direction.

He watched his face twist and turn with so many different emotions before he smiled and laughed. His laugh was wonderful, music to Tweek’s ears.

And his smile? A true, genuine smile that wasn’t his little crooked one? That was beautiful. It was something Tweek took a mental picture of so he could remember it forever.

“Sorry… a lot of these things are foreign concepts to me. I was raised in, uh-“ he stopped to think for a minute before looking down at his shoes, “I was raised in a rather sheltered home so I’m experiencing a lot of things for the first time.”

“Well I hope you enjoy your college experience and you get to experience all the things you’ve never got to before.”

Tweek watched as Craig moved a little closer to him, looking up at the sky to see the falling snowflakes and flinching when one landed on his nose.

And it made Tweek giggle.

Craig was cute, he would give him that. And he was nice. He could get use to seeing him experience new things and he was looking forward to getting to know him. 

“Hey Craig?” The blonde nudged the taller man’s shoulder, which caused him to look down at the green eyed man with an inquisitive look on his face. “Do you want to go get some coffee with me?”

“Coffee?”

Tweek watched as Craig’s face twisted with so many different thoughts and emotions before he looked at him with a look of pure confusion, “what’s coffee?”

Tweek thought his brain was about to explode. Did Craig really ask him what coffee was? Tweek couldn’t ever recall a time ever meeting someone who didn’t know what coffee was.

“Coffee is a-“ actually, why explain it?

He stood up and looked down at Craig, holding out a hand. The dark haired man grabbed the blonde’s hand and he pulled him up to his feet before pulling his hand away quickly and hiding the blush on his face by looking off into the distance, “let me take you to an on campus café and I’ll buy you a cup of coffee, how’s that sound?”

“Fine with me.”

Tweek couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t too sure if this was a date or what this was but he was glad it was happening.

“Hey Tweek?”

“Yeah?”

“Your face is all red.”

The fact that Craig pointed out that fact that his face was red just made him blush even harder. But he couldn’t help himself.

This was about to be a long day that he couldn’t wait to tell his friends about. They would just have to wait a little longer then he had originally intended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I’m back on my bullshit by writing another multichapter fic. 
> 
> I don’t have a set update schedule for this for bare with me as things may seem really sporadic when it comes to updating.
> 
> Anyway, I thank you guys for taking some time out of your day to read this, it means a lot to me!
> 
> And as always, feedback is appreciated and welcomed.


	2. The Feeling of Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Just thinking…”
> 
> “What about?”
> 
> Craig shrugged and studied the cup, watching the steam rise from the lid.
> 
> Warmth.
> 
> He missed the warmth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my main and my writing Tumblr accounts :
> 
> Main : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://craigwritesastory.tumblr.com/

The little café Tweek has dragged him to just slightly off campus had an incredibly welcoming atmosphere about it. The walls were bright, the smell was inviting, the prices were reasonable...

And it was also packed.

Way more packed than Tweek had ever seen this place but he could kind of understand. It was the week leading into midterms and that meant cramming a whole lot of knowledge into one’s brain in a short amount of time.

Coffee was every college kids best friend around this time.

“It’s very busy…” Craig’s eyes scanned his surroundings, studying each and every person in the little building.

He shifted his weight between his feet and his hands went into his jacket pockets.

“Probably because it’s the week before midterms,” Tweek shrugged it off, getting use to all of this after four years of having to dealing with it.

But all of this was new to Craig. But Tweek was glad that he was allowing Craig to experience all of this with him.

Tweek has been there, he knew how scary college could be. And he wished he had someone who showed him the ins and outs of it all during his freshman year.

“Hey Tweek…”

He felt Craig nudge his shoulder with his elbow. So he looked up with a curious expression and a small smile on his face.

“Yes?”

He pulled one of his hands out of a pocket and pointed up at the menu hanging above the counter.

“What do you recommend?”

Tweek’s face lit up. He could recommend so many things that he liked but he was unsure about Craig’s tastes of things, especially when it came to coffee.

“Well it depends on what you like, and since you’ve never had coffee before I would recommend a mocaccino.”

Craig raised a brow and looked at Tweek with such an expression of confusion.

“Which is what exactly?”

“It tastes like chocolate and they put whipped cream on it, I think you’ll like it.”

Craig gave a small nod and a smile as he bumped his hip against Tweek’s… and whether or not he meant it as an intentional thing Tweek still felt himself slowly falling apart on the inside. Not in a bad way though, oh no. He was falling apart in the best way possible.

“Tell you what,” Tweek followed suit and returned the motion to Craig, “why don’t you go sit and I’ll order for us?”

“You don’t have to-“

“I _want_ to,” Tweek grabbed hold of Craig’s sleeves and pulled him out of line before lightly pushing his back, “now go sit and I’ll join you when I have our orders.”

The man groaned but nodded in agreement as his eyes scanned the café for a place to sit. And when he found a little table that was secluded in a corner that was unoccupied he made his way over, muttering quiet apologizes to anyone he may have bumped with his bag along the way.

He sat and put his bag down by his feet before looking over at Tweek in line and giving him a small wave, to which the blonde returned before quickly looking away and hiding his face.

Adjusting to this life was hard, Craig had realized. But then again, everything seemed to be a little harder from the life he had once known.

 _“It’s for your own good son,”_ his father’s words repeated over and over again in his head. _“Don’t fight me on this.”_

He still didn’t know what he meant. He didn’t know why his father had thrown him into a new lifestyle from the one that he knew.

Everything was different and such a foreign concept. And it was so damn cold that he absolutely hated it.

He wanted the warmth, he wanted the comfort of knowing what to expect in life and he wanted to be able to have control over what he did again.

What was college for anyway? Why did he need to do this? What exactly was his father thinking when he forced him out of the comfort of everything he once knew into this world of a whole lot of confusion.

_“You’ll be safer there son, you need to understand that.”_

His fingers were drumming against the table and one of his feet was tapping against the tile floor of the café.

He wanted to understand what those words meant and why his father had spoken them to him.

With a groan he leaned his head back, making a soft thunk on the wall behind him and all movement of his body stopped. His eyes closed and he let out a heavy sigh.

“You alright?”

He turned his head slightly and opened one of his eyes to find Tweek approaching with a worried look on his face and a paper cup in each hand.

“Just thinking…” Craig sat up and readjusted his posture as Tweek sat across from him and setting the cups down on the table.

“What about?”

Craig shrugged and studied the cup, watching the steam rise from the lid.

Warmth.

He missed the warmth.

He wrapped his hands around the cup and smiled softly when he felt the heat hitting his palms. He felt relaxed, he felt at home.

It was such a nice feeling that overtook his body.

“Uh,” he thought for a moment, thinking about what he could possibly say to Tweek that would allow him to maybe understand the situation he was currently in. “Just my dad.”

It wasn’t a total lie. It was a vague and open answer that could honestly mean just about anything. And Craig was okay with that.

Tweek didn’t need to know the truth. Not yet anyway. Or maybe not at all. He hadn’t quite decided.

There was silence for a while as Tweek took a sip of his drink and setting it down again, his nails lightly hitting the cup as he bit his lip.

“Do you miss your parents?”

“What?”

Well, Craig can honestly say he wasn’t expecting that question.

“Your parents. Do you miss them?”

Truthfully, yes. He did miss his parents and his sister very much. He hadn’t seen or heard much of them since this whole thing began and he was starting to grow worried. There was a feeling in his gut that was telling him things weren’t okay as his dad was making them out to be but his mind was telling him that he was just overthinking and that everyone was just fine… right?

“Yeah,” he lifted his cup and brought it to his lips, feeling the hot beverage radiate its warmth, “I do.”

“I do too…” Tweek looked down and stared at the table. “Especially my mom.”

Tweek sighed and looked at Craig with watery eyes, “she’d be proud of me I think.”

“What, uh,” Craig took a sip of the beverage slowly before lowering the cup, “is everything okay?”

A lot of emotions crossed over Tweek’s face before he wiped at his cheeks with his sleeve and looked out the window at the falling snow, “my mom died a few years ago so it’s just been my dad and I…”

“I-“ Craig reached across the table and placed a hand on one of the blonde’s, a sad smile appearing on his face, “I’m so sorry Tweek.”

“It’s okay…” he gave Craig a smile to reassure the black haired man that he really was okay, “I miss her terribly but I know she’s always going to be here with me.”

More silence. But Tweek relaxed under Craig’s gentle and reassuring touch. It was easy for him to relax around Craig and it made Tweek feel at peace with himself.

And that made him feel good because it had been far too long since he’s had a real human connection like this before.

He could most definitely get use to having this not so mysterious stranger hanging around with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Thank you so much for taking some time out of your day to read this, I really appreciate it.
> 
> Feedback is welcomed and appreciated!


	3. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig’s eyes cautiously scanned the room, looking up at the board once more to really study the image.
> 
> It was him, no doubt about it, but at the same time he wasn’t. It had been far too long since he had seen himself in his true form, in his comfortable environment.
> 
> The more he studied it the more he realized that he wasn’t doing a great job at really blending in. He looked the same, it was clear as day, but he just hoped that no one would catch on.
> 
> He hoped nobody would point it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my main and my writing Tumblr accounts :
> 
> Main : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://craigwritesastory.tumblr.com/

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours. The two had lost track of time sitting in the café just smiling, laughing and talking with one another.

Craig was good company Tweek had learned. And Tweek was someone Craig liked being around.

Having a connection with someone was nice, and sometimes a rare occurrence but these two had really hit it off.

“Oh shit!” Tweek frantically stood, knocking over his empty cup as he grabbed his bag.

“What?” Craig stared at him with a raised brow, slowly standing and grabbing the bag he had at his feet before picking up each of the cups.

“I have to go, I’m so sorry! My Mythology class starts in ten minutes!”

Craig didn’t get the chance to say anything else as the blonde was already frantically running out of the door, nearly knocking down every person he passed by.

Craig sighed, threw away the empty cups in the nearest trash can and exited the café.

He wasn’t exactly sure where he was going but maybe he would stop by that Mythology class Tweek was talking about going to in order to see what it was all about.

It’s not like he had anything to lose, matter of fact it could actually be rather interesting to hear what it was they were teaching about it.

Craig looked around the campus and followed the direction he saw Tweek running, and he hoped for the best because he had no actual idea where this class was but he was going to do his best to find it.

He took his time, not finding it necessary to hurry along and rush like Tweek did. He wasn’t on the attendance list, he wouldn’t get in trouble for not being on time. So he wanted to take in his surroundings, to observe and to memorize the snow that was falling around him and crunching under his boots.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been wandering campus for, but he knew he was left alone with his thoughts for far too long.

He was given time to ponder and to think, to really think, about everything that was happening in his life lately.

And more importantly he really starting thinking about his father’s words. The meaning behind them and what they meant.

But he was still drawing a blank. Nothing was coming to him and he couldn’t quite figure it out. Perhaps in due time it would make sense and perhaps one day he would understand.

His mind was racing with a bunch of different thoughts when he entered into a classroom, taking a seat in the back and going unnoticed, and he hoped he stayed that way.

Craig knew better than anyone that he wasn’t supposed to be here, and he didn’t know what would happen if he got caught.

“...and in more recent times we’ve come to learn more about these gods and goddesses. We’re learning more about who they were and more about the roles they played in society.” The woman at the front of the room spoke with a smile on her face as she pointed out several statues that depicted the gods on the screen behind her.

“What do you mean by that?” A redhead at the front of the class asked, “about their role in society, I mean. We already know that they were worshipped for different things.”

“What I mean is,” the woman continued to smile as she went to a different slide, depicting a vase that he recognized as one women would use to give offerings to Hera. “These divine beings would, and quite possibly still do, walk amongst humans. They would learn about them to better understand what they were going through and no one would be any the wiser.”

The professor went to a new slide, and it showed something that Craig knew all too well; the depths of the underworld, Cerberus and the God who watched over it all… Hades himself.

Craig hid his face in his palm and avoided looking at anyone. If they saw him here it was over and he would be found out.

He couldn’t have that.

“Whoa whoa whoa, hold on a second…” a brunette boy towards the middle of the room that was seated a few rows in front of Tweek spoke up, “you mean to tell me that gods and goddesses could be walking amongst us right now?”

There seemed to be a sense of sarcasm in his voice. Or maybe it was a mocking tone, Craig didn’t really know. But what he did know is that there was something off about the way he had said it.

The professor shrugged, “who’s to say? One would never be able to tell the difference between them and an everyday, normal person.”

Craig’s eyes cautiously scanned the room, looking up at the board once more to really study the image.

It was him, no doubt about it, but at the same time he wasn’t. It had been far too long since he had seen himself in his true form, in his comfortable environment.

The more he studied it the more he realized that he wasn’t doing a great job at really blending in. He looked the same, it was clear as day, but he just hoped that no one would catch on.

He hoped nobody would point it out.

All he wanted to do was carry on with blending into society and keeping his true self hidden in the shadows.

“I have a question.”

His gaze gravitated towards that voice. He saw the back of Tweek’s head… he would be able to recognize that sunny blonde hair anywhere.

“Yes, go ahead Mr. Tweak.”

“Why do the gods and goddesses continue to walk amongst us even to this day? It’s been years and one would think that it would be unnecessary at this point in time.”

Craig grinned. Tweek had brought up a wonderful point and perhaps this would help him to better understand the questions that plagued his mind.

“That’s an excellent question Tweek.”

The professor went to a new slide, one that showed darkness and horror. It was him in his element but there were other gods standing behind him, angry looks on their faces.

The Titans stood behind him and several other young Gods and Goddesses alike. Craig’s father was there, as was his mother, but for the life of him he had absolutely no idea what was happening. His memory of the situation was cloudy and hazy, and he really wished he knew what this whole thing meant. 

“In recent years we’ve come to learn that some of the Gods and Goddesses have started losing their sense of self, especially the younger generation. And what I mean is... they were lacking the human interaction the Elders before them experienced.”

_“You’ll be going to Earth my boy.”_

Craig’s father’s words repeated in his head over and over again.

It was all making sense. It was all coming together. His father was trying to teach him a lesson. His father didn’t wish for him to suffer the fate of being cast aside and shunned like so many before him. Craig knew the gods to be ruthless, some going as far as taking powers and memories away from those around his own age.

His father was always trying to play these games with him. For as long as Craig could remember his dad was always the one trying to reach Craig some sort of lesson while his mother always stood her ground against him. But it would appear that perhaps this time his father got the upper hand when it came to casting Craig aside.

Unless of course his mother agreed to it as well.

_“You need to be taught a lesson. You need to learn how to appreciate the little things, get out of your element and actually see the world. I believe it’ll do you a world of good.”_

In a bit of a panic he pulled out his notebook and hurriedly wrote down everything. He needed to make sure he knew all he could. He needed to make sure he understood everything that was happening.

Because everything seemed to finally be coming together in a way that Craig never could’ve pieced together on his own. And while he was still missing a good chunk of information this certainly helped fill in the void. But it also worried him in a way that made him sweat. It made him feel uneasy and it caused his hands to shake.

So with his new found knowledge he grabbed his things and quickly made his way out of the room, trying to go as unnoticed as possible. Because he needed to leave, he needed to no longer be here in this situation.

But Tweek saw him out of the corner of his eye. He had questions, sure, but he would have to discuss it with him at a later date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Thank you guys so much for taking some time out of your day to read this chapter, it means a lot to me.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed it.
> 
> Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> Oh, and PS, I would like to try and update this story twice a month so let’s hope I can stick with that.


	4. Vices and Virtues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was funny how things worked out, how they sometimes presented themselves to someone without a specified reason or explanation.
> 
> But everything was going to be okay. At least that’s what he told himself. But he would say it until he believed it. Because Tweek deserved to be okay. He deserved to feel okay.
> 
> And in this very moment everything stopped and stood still. He could finally enjoy the now without any other cares in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my main and my writing Tumblr accounts :
> 
> Main : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://craigwritesastory.tumblr.com/

It was funny how things worked out, how they sometimes presented themselves to someone without a specified reason or explanation.

He couldn’t quite grasp what had happened today but that didn’t stop him from thinking about it and it didn’t stop his head from spinning with questions.

There were a lot of things going through his head at this moment. A lot of things he probably couldn’t figure out the answer to.

But his head was pounding and spinning. He was dizzy and he felt like he would collapse at any given moment.

He hurried through the sea of college students either leaving campus, arriving or campus or heading to their next class.

He didn’t care. He wanted to go home. He wanted to get as far away from everyone as he could so he could just have a minute to himself to unwind. 

It felt like he was walking forever, trying to push his way through heavy waters of rolling waves. It sucked. Everything sucked. He wanted it all to just stop, he wanted time to stand still while he continued to move forward.

But obviously life didn’t work like that.

He could see his dorm coming into view after what felt like years of forcing his way through so many people.

“Almost there,” he told himself over and over again until he managed to get inside, shaky fingers entering the building code and trembling hands struggling to get his door unlocked.

It was a struggle.

But he had done it. It felt good to be home. Hell, he didn’t even make it to his room, he just decided to collapse on the couch not too far away from the door.

He needed to think. He needed to process a lot of information. And most importantly he needed to try and understand the situation he found racing through his mind on a constant loop.

Why was Craig in his Mythology class and why was he sneaking out in a hurry?

Tweek didn’t understand, and perhaps he never would. But he was going to try his best to better understand it all.

He reached down to his backpack and lazily began going through it without looking as he searched for his phone.

When he had the device in his grasp he pulled it from the bag and rolled into his side to better look at the screen.

His fingers typed quickly and his eyes scanned over the screen as he pulled up several things to look at and to read.

But he continued to draw a blank.

Craig wasn’t listed in any of his classes according to the student lists his teachers had sent out so everyone could learn each other’s names… but then again, Craig did say he had just transferred in…

It still didn’t make any sense though. He had never seen him around before, and even if he was new Tweek had signed himself up to be a part of a welcoming committee that showed students around so they wouldn’t feel as lost on their first day.

But maybe that was because someone else had assisted him…

He would have to ask around, have to see if anyone knew who Craig was, see if anyone had seen or heard of him before today.

One issue kind of resolved, another couple hundred to go.

He spent the next hour or so just mindlessly scrolling through his phone, letting his mind wander in hopes of keeping himself distracted on something, anything, that wasn’t Craig.

But unfortunately it wasn’t working out in his favor.

His mind kept drifting back to the mysterious dark haired stranger he had moment hours ago. His pretty blue eyes, goofy crooked smile…

_Focus Tweek!_

_Stop thinking about Craig!_

He told himself those things a dozen times before the door to his dorm opened, his roommate Clyde walking in with a beautiful blonde on his arm.

“Oh…” Clyde waved awkwardly, “hey Tweek.”

“Hi Clyde,” Tweek stared blankly at the brunette as he sat up, pocketing his phone and grabbing his bag off the floor.

“I’ll be in my room.”

“You the best!”

“Whatever…”

Tweek was happy Clyde had someone in his life, really he was, but there was something about his girlfriend that was just a little off putting. 

And it’s not like she was mean, quite the opposite actually, but there was something different about her. Something that Tweek couldn’t quite pinpoint. 

But it wasn’t something he should be worrying about. Bebe made Clyde happy, really happy, and that made Tweek happy. 

He shut his bedroom door and slid his back down the wall, his knees going to his chest and his head leaning back. He stared up at the ceiling as he absentmindedly started to scratch at one of his arms.

An old habit he was trying so hard to kick but for whatever reason found it incredibly difficult to do so, especially when he found himself stressed out. 

Slowly he started hitting his head against the wall.

He suddenly felt very overwhelmed with everything and his thoughts were suddenly very loud. It felt as if he was listening to someone scream right next to his ear and it was becoming a lot for him to deal with.

“Stop!”

He stopped scratching, stopping hitting his head against the wall and sat forward when he heard someone knocking on his bedroom door.

“Hey buddy,” it was Clyde. Because of course it was, he was one of the only other people here. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah I, _ngh_ , I’m fine Clyde… sorry.”

Tweek looked down at his arms, noticing the scratch marks scattered across his pale skin. He pulled down his hoodie sleeve and looked at the door.

“You can talk to me if you need to okay? And Bebe too…”

He couldn’t help but crack a small smile at the sincerity in Clyde’s voice. It was nice to know that he truly did care about his well being, “thank you Clyde.”

Things were silent for a while but he heard Clyde’s footsteps recede down the hall. Which meant Tweek was alone yet again. So the blonde stood and walked over to his bed, flopping down on his back and staring up at the ceiling.

_You should call him._

_Go find him._

_Stop thinking about him._

He was alone with his thoughts and he just wanted those to stop. He wanted complete silence. But he knew it wouldn’t come. He knew he would be stuck listening to whatever was going on in his head for a while so he would have to just suck it up and deal with it.

_You like him don’t you?_

_You asked him out to get coffee._

_Stop thinking about him._

Tweek grunted, rolled over into his stomach and held a pillow over his head as he screamed into his mattress.

Anything was better than listening to his head, listening to his thoughts.

And although the sound of his screams were muffled he could almost guarantee Clyde and Bebe could hear him.

_They’re probably talking about you right now._

“Enough!”

He threw his pillow, watching it hit his closet door as he sat up. He needed to get out, just to get away for awhile in hopes of clearing his head.

He grabbed his keys out of his bag and put up his hood as he exited his room. He didn’t say a word to anyone, not even Token whom he bumped in the shoulder on his way out of the apartment.

“What’s with Tweek?” Token looked towards Clyde with a raised brow.

The brunette shrugged, readjusting as Bebe got comfortable against his side, “I don’t know man. I think he’s stressing pretty heavily.”

“Is he okay?”

“I think so.”

Token watched Tweek exit the building, letting out a quiet sigh as he closed the door to their dorm.

Tweek wasn’t too sure where he was going but he knew anywhere was better than here. Maybe the park, or maybe he would keep himself occupied by visiting a local museum.

He would let his feet guide him to his unknown destination. It was a go with the flow kind of feeling. Sometimes that was the best kind of feeling Tweek had learned. Because he had found some nice little cafes and craft stores and otherwise unknown locations that he probably never would’ve found otherwise.

_Go find Craig._

_You miss him don’t you?_

_Stop thinking about him._

He was walking for what seemed to be hours. Days even. But when he finally stopped he found himself standing in front of a flower shop. It seemed to be calling to him, pulling him in. So he smiled brightly and went in, already finding himself to be at peace with his surroundings.

It was nice. This was nice. Everything was going to be okay. At least that’s what he told himself. But he would say it until he believed it. Because Tweek deserved to be okay. He deserved to feel okay.

And in this very moment everything stopped and stood still. He could finally enjoy the now without any other cares in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone.
> 
> Thank you so much for taking some time out of your day to read this, it means a lot to me.
> 
> And, as always, feedback is welcomed and appreciated.


	5. A Dozen Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was smiling, he was happy and he was finally starting to feel at ease with everything. Even his mind had stopped racing with the endless amounts of questions he was thinking about earlier.
> 
> Instead all his mind was focusing on was the reds and oranges of the fake flowers before him, humming a tune quietly to himself as he allowed himself to get lost in what he was doing.
> 
> The flowers that surrounded him were filling him with a wonderful feeling. He felt warm, happy and peaceful. There was a tingling feeling deep in his gut that he couldn’t quite describe but it felt incredible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my main and my writing Tumblr accounts :
> 
> Main : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://craigwritesastory.tumblr.com/

He found himself seated in a back corner at a small wooden table that was out of sight in the flower shop.

Absentmindedly he had started putting together an arrangement of fake flowers he had found pushed aside on a shelf next to a small crystal vase.

It was a nice way to pass the time.

It was just nice in general.

He was smiling, he was happy and he was finally starting to feel at ease with everything. Even his mind had stopped racing with the endless amounts of questions he was thinking about earlier.

Instead all his mind was focusing on was the reds and oranges of the fake flowers before him, humming a tune quietly to himself as he allowed himself to get lost in what he was doing.

The flowers that surrounded him were filling him with a wonderful feeling. He felt warm, happy and peaceful. There was a tingling feeling deep in his gut that he couldn’t quite describe but it felt incredible.

“Having fun?”

He jumped and looked up, the voice catching him off guard. But he knew they mean no ill intent with their greeting considering they had given him permission to be there.

“Jesus Wendy, you scared me!”

“I’m sorry Tweek, I didn’t mean to do that.” She sat across from him, grabbing one of the flowers that was in front of him with a smile, “are you doing alright?”

The blonde nodded slowly, putting an orange flower into the vase before changing his mind of the location and moving it around. When he liked where it was he had placed it then he nodded to himself and looked at the woman in front of him.

“I’m much better now, thank you.”

The two sat in silence for a while, and it was a welcomed silence between the two of them before Wendy set the flower in her hands down and pushed the small vase aside. 

“What was going on with you earlier anyway?”

Tweek bit his bottom lip and started fidgeting with his sleeves, avoiding Wendy’s gaze the best he could as he tried to hide the redness that was creeping up on his face.

“I was overwhelmed is all…”

Wendy stayed quiet, letting Tweek speak at his own pace. She watched him fidget and scan the room aimlessly. She felt his leg bounce under the table, watched as he bit down on his bottom lip.

Then he stared at her. There was a warm smile on his face and he looked flustered beyond belief, more so than Wendy had ever seen him be before.

“I met a boy…”

“Go on…”

His fingers tapped against the table, his nails echoing softly in the quiet shop. Tweek found it relaxing in a way, but he felt his nerves coming back when he started to even remotely think about Craig.

“It’s weird though… he just kind of showed up randomly.”

“Explain.”

Tweek thought for a moment, letting out a shaky and uneasy breath before continuing.

“I’ve never seen him before today, which is understandable since he said he just transferred, but he just kind of showed up in my Greek Mythology class and then he just… he just fucking left! Like he wasn’t supposed to be there and just decided to peace out.”

Tweek studied his friend intently before leaning forward and allowing his forehead to smack against the wooden table.

There would definitely be a red mark, if not a bruise, there later.

“But I can’t stop thinking about him Wendy! He’s so mysterious and I know next to nothing about this guy!”

“Honest opinion or the opinion you want to hear?”

“Honest please.”

“Sounds to me like you’re developing a little crush on this guy and I wouldn’t rush into it, as much as you may want to. Just let it happen naturally and do things to keep your mind occupied so you stop thinking about him and getting yourself worked up.”

Although she couldn’t see his face he was smiling like a complete fool to himself. Tweek appreciated Wendy and he appreciated her advice. She was real and she was never afraid to tell him like it was.

He was glad she was his friend because he needed someone like her in his life.

“Right now you may think this is good but need I remind you about your ex? And how much of a disaster that was?”

He groaned, “don’t remind me.”

“Then don’t rush this.”

He wasn’t even sure what he wanted out of this. He wasn’t even sure if Craig wanted anything out of this besides friendship. All of this was overwhelming him again and he felt his hands start to shake.

“Tweek listen to me,” Wendy reached forward, putting her hands on top of his own to help steady him. “I need you to breath okay? Can you do that for me?”

The blonde nodded slowly, focusing his energy on breathing.

In and out.

Nice and easy.

Slow and steady.

He closed his eyes tightly. His whole body was shaking. This was becoming disastrous.

“Tweek look at me.”

He lifted his head slowly, bringing himself to open his eyes and look at Wendy. It was simple enough but it felt like this was the most difficult task in the world.

“Talk to him. Get to know him. And keep me informed, okay?”

He was thankful for her. Thankful she was here, in his life and keeping him grounded. She was the best friend he ever could’ve asked for.

“Okay,” his voice was uneasy but he did his best to hide it. To make himself come across as seeming more confident than he actually was. 

“Think you can do that for me?”

“Yeah… I think I can.”

Wendy let go of his hands, helped him up to his feet and pulled him into a tight hug.

The two stayed like that for a while. She held Tweek close and rubbed his back. His head went to her shoulder as he lazily hugged her back, her fingers running through his hair.

“You can do this Tweek, I know you can.”

It was the little things that she did that made him feel better about himself. It was the little things she said that made him realize everything was fine. It was her actions that made him realize that she would always be there.

Tweek wasn’t exactly sure how he ended up being lucky enough to have Wendy Testaburger as a friend but here she was. And he most certainly was not about to let her go.

“What would I do without you Wendy?”

She lifted his head, placed a hand on his cheek and smiled up at him. She didn’t need to say anything. Tweek already knew. And the words that went unspoken were more powerful than the ones that they communicated with one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> Thank you very much for taking some time out of your day to read this, it means a lot to me.
> 
> And, as always, feedback is welcomed and appreciated.


	6. The Beauty of Color

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something about it seemed welcoming and warming. It seemed bright and inviting. It seemed like a place where he could find himself feeling at ease.
> 
> So Craig pulled Astra along, making his way over to the small little flower shop on the corner with his dog in tow.
> 
> And the brightness from inside never faded, not even when he stepped into the door. Not even when he touched one of the flowers.
> 
> It was nice to finally be able to see the beauty of color.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my main and my writing Tumblr accounts :
> 
> Main : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://craigwritesastory.tumblr.com/

Craig felt alone. Isolated. Forgotten about and abandoned. He sat alone on the floor of his apartment he had somehow managed to rent several blocks away from the university.

His back was against the wall of his bedroom door as he stared out at the little balcony, focusing on the swaying tree branches of the tree across the way.

It was soothing, calming even. It was enough to remove the dark cloud that flooded his head.

He missed home. He missed his sister, his mother and his father. He missed his friends. This wasn’t what he knew. This was all so new to him. And quite honestly it scared the hell out of him.

He hated not knowing what to expect. He hated not being in charge of the situation and not having control over what was thrown his way.

But he had good company to say the least.

He would probably be more of a wreck then he already was if it wasn’t for his dog. She sat near his feet, curled up and sound asleep.

He was lazily scratching her back with one of his feet as he thought about everything and really tried to take it all in.

Craig was uncertain about life, knowing everything could end in the blink of an eye. He didn’t know life well enough to understand it and living in a world that wasn’t his domain was confusing.

Everything was dark, bleak and drained of color. At least when he was alone. But he had realized one thing to be certain. When he was with Tweek everything seemed to be in full bloom, so full of color and life. It was just so beautiful.

And he loved it.

Color was fascinating. It beat out the diluted blues, greys and blacks he witnessed on a daily basis

He sighed, running a hand down his face before tangling his fingers into his hair.

“What do you think girl?”

He looked down at his dog, whose tail wagged happily. She lifted her head and stared over at her owner, making a curious little noise as she tilted her head to the side upon seeing his distressed state of mind.

“What should I do?”

He knew she wouldn’t answer him but talking to her brought him a sense of peace that allowed his mind to relax. Talking with her made him realize that he had a little piece of home with him no matter how far away he was.

The movement of his foot on her back stopped and the dog stood, making her way next to him and putting a paw on his leg.

Her eyes twinkled as she stared at him, and it caused him to smile. It caused him to pull himself out of whatever this funk was that was surrounding him.

“Do you want to go for a walk?”

The black dog barked happily, standing and running circles around the room.

So Craig stood, unable to contain himself of this small wave of happiness that washed over him. He opened his bedroom door and watched as the shepherd dashed out towards the front door, barking eagerly before bringing Craig her leash and putting her paws up on his chest.

“Someone’s excited,” he grabbed her leash as he rubbed her head and scratched at her ears, earning him lots of loving kisses and happy little yips.

He clipped the leash to her collar and was instantly pulled towards the front door.

Craig was thankful for two things at this moment. Thing one, he still had his jacket and shoes on, and thing two, he had his keys in his pocket.

The second he attached the leash to her collar she ran, right to the front door. He had to act quick, flicking open the knob and kick it shut.

“Astra!” Craig pulled at the leash he held tightly in his hand as he jogged behind the fluffy black beast.

He could sense her excitement and her contentment with being outside after spending so long inside.

But he wanted things to stay calm, to help him clear the dark clouds in his head.

“Astra, calm yourself,” he tugged the leash one more time which caused her to stop, to look over at him and wag her tail happily.

“I know you’re excited girl but you need to calm down a little.”

Craig scratched one of her ears, she licked his hand, and he started walking. Astra stayed beside him, her excitement calming.

It was nice. This was nice.

Except for the dark cloud that circled him. The dark cloud of soot and smoke that prevented him from seeing this world in all of its beautiful array of colors.

Even if there was a blanket of snow covering the ground.

Astra shoved her face into a snow mound, and Craig stifled a laugh as he watched her shake off the snowflakes from her muzzle.

He watched how she got excited to jump in more snow, how she growled as a random squirrel or a bird that she happened to lay eyes on during their adventure outside.

He watched how little kids got excited when they saw her. And when they asked him if they could pet this big fluffy monster he would always nod his head and let them know they were allowed.

He knew Astra loved the attention. He knew Astra liked making people happy.

And she did a good job.

She kept Craig company on the darkest of days and during the darkest of nights. She kept him company when he was lonely, when he was cold, and when his temper got the best of him.

She really was man’s best friend, especially in his case.

With all the craziness that surrounded him and all the things that remained a mystery in his brain knowing that Astra was there as his reminder of home somehow made him feel a little bit better about this whole weird situation he found himself in.

But he found himself standing on the sidewalk as the snow slowly fell around him, dissolving as soon as it touched his skin, his clothes, anywhere that warmth resonated.

Craig sighed, watching a water droplet roll down his sleeve and hand before hitting his boot.

His eyes went over to Astra, who was busy having a staring match with a another dog on the other side of the street. Craig gave her leash a light tug and she looked up at him as she made a curious little whining noise.

“Come on girl,” he wasn’t sure where they were going to go but he wanted to go somewhere.

Somewhere dry. Somewhere where he didn’t feel like he was drawing attention to himself. His eyes scanned all the buildings that surrounded him before landing on one on the corner across from a small bistro.

A flower shop.

Something about it seemed welcoming and warming. It seemed bright and inviting. It seemed like a place where he could find himself feeling at ease.

So Craig pulled Astra along, making his way over to the small little flower shop on the corner with his dog in tow.

And the brightness from inside never faded, not even when he stepped into the door. Not even when he touched one of the flowers.

It was nice to finally be able to see the beauty of color.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> It means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this story a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


	7. Blossoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He watched how Tweek picked the petals off the tile floor, generally ran his fingers over the small pile of ash.
> 
> Craig’s eyes grew wide when he saw the black fade, saw the color slowly return and the bloom return. It was as if the flower was reborn, as if he had never destroyed it in the first place.
> 
> It was a sight to watch. It was beautiful. It was something that left Craig awestruck.
> 
> And apparently it left Tweek feeling the very same way. The blonde backed away slowly, eyes wide in confusion and frustration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my main and my writing Tumblr accounts :
> 
> Main : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://craigwritesastory.tumblr.com/

Hundreds of different scents filled his brain, his head getting a bit dizzy and slowly becoming overwhelmed with everything that was happening.

Craig wanted to touch, to observe, to feel all of the different flowers that surrounded him but the man knew better.

He knew their color would fade, their petals wither and die. Because that’s just what happened. That’s exactly who he was and that was the reality he needed to live with.

Astra sniffed every little nook and cranny she came across, her tail constantly wagging as she would look back to make sure Craig was still there.

“Hi there,” a voice came from behind him.

Craig stopped in his tracks, giving Astra’s leash a light tug to stop the dog. She sat as Craig looked over his shoulder at the black haired girl standing behind him, “hi.”

“Do you need help with anything or are you just looking?”

“Just kind of looking,” he looked forward and gave a slight grin at a pot of sunflowers. “But thank you for asking if I needed anything.”

“Oh you’re welcome.” Wendy’s eyes followed his gaze, observing him staring at the yellow flowers, “if you need anything though please come find me and I’ll assist you.”

“Thanks.”

He watched her go and return to the back corner of the store. Craig was surprised the shop wasn’t all that busy but he took it as a blessing. He liked the solitude and the chance to just take his time and explore without other people being in his way or breathing down his neck.

He bit his bottom lip and glanced at his sleeve. An idea struck him at that very moment and while he was uncertain as to if it would work he was willing to give it a try… he was also willing to pay for whatever collateral damage would be caused if it failed.

He moved Astra’s leash to be looped around his wrist before he pulled down one of his sleeves over his hand. He reached forward and touched the petals with the fabric of his coat and his covered fingertips.

Craig’s face softened with a slight smile, realizing that the flower wasn’t wilting under his touches. Realizing that for the first time in his life nothing was wilting, nothing was fading of color and it was lifting him up in a positive way.

Craig wasn’t use to this and he was starting to like it.

So he decided to risk it. He moved his hand back slightly before pulling up his sleeve and letting out a heavy breath.

Craig looked down at Astra who looked up at him, tongue hanging out of her mouth as her fluffy tail wagged back and forth.

“Here goes nothing.”

He couldn’t believe he was about to do this but he reached forward and lightly touched at the petals with his fingertips.

And within seconds his heart sank, his face filled with sadness, anger and rage. The petals started to wilt, the color beginning to fade.

He knew he should’ve expected it but there was a part of him that didn’t want to accept it as being true. 

The petals slowly fell to the tiled floor, landing by his boots. His eyes followed as they fell, his hands dropping as he caught one in his hand. The petal slowly got engulfed in a small burst of a flame, turning to ash in his palm that he slowly let fall to the ground.

Astra stood and started sniffing the floor while occasionally glancing up at Craig.

“Come on Astra,” he tugged her leash lightly as he turned his back to head towards the door the two had walked into just moments ago. “Let’s get going.”

The dog let out a soft whine, tilting her head as she stared up at her owner before circling and uncircling his legs. But he wanted to leave. He tugged her leash again and started towards the door but Astra has other plans.

She let out a bark and tugged on her leash hard which caused Craig to trip over his feet and fumble forward.

“Astra!”

She barked at him, growled even, before pulling him along with all of her might to the back corner of the store.

And that’s when Craig saw him. He saw Tweek seated back there surrounded by vases of flowers of various color assortments, talking with the shopkeeper her had had an encounter with earlier.

Astra pulled away from Craig, managing to wiggle her way from her collar and run over to Tweek. She barked and put her front paws up on the stool, nudging his leg with her nose.

“Well aren’t you a cutie,” Tweek was smiling at her and scratching her head.

“I’m sorry about her…” Craig approached slowly, kneeling down and putting Astra’s collar back around her neck. “She’s just excited.”

Tweek couldn’t help but smile at Craig, watching as he stood and tried to avoid eye contact with Tweek and the girl seated across from him.

“Come on Astra.”

He tugged at her collar again as he tightened the grip he had on her leash but the dog was resilient. She pulled back, she growled and she stared Craig down.

Tweek’s eyes switched between the black haired man and the black dog on the floor before Tweek stood. He didn’t know why, but he did, and he kneeled on the ground to pet the dog’s head.

“What’s the hurry?”

The question caught Craig off guard. He stopped walking, leash dropping to the floor as Astra barked in relief and licked at Tweek’s hand as he started to pet her head.

“I just…” Craig sighed, “I want to go back home.”

Astra growled at him before trotting over to him, biting at his pants and trying her best to move Craig closer to the blonde.

But he got the message and began moving on his own, taking slow steps forward as he let Astra pull him along before she let him go, moved behind him and used her head to push him a little closer to the man before him.

“She’s a determined little thing…” Tweek felt his face heat up as he looked up at Craig.

“She’s never acted like this before…” Craig scratched at the back of his head, looking up at the ceiling and the walls and anywhere that wasn’t at Tweek.

But both men were so distracted with each other and the dog that neither noticed Wendy had left them alone.

Astra barked happily, seating herself behind Craig’s legs to prevent him from moving anywhere that wasn’t forward seeing as the two were nearly backed into a corner.

There was a silence that surrounded them, an awkwardness as their eyes continued to avoid one another. But Astra was determined. She knew what she wanted to happen and she wasn’t about to give up until something happened.

“I- I think I should head out…” Craig murmured softly, finally looking at Tweek. The blonde’s face was pink and his eyes were anywhere but on Craig.

“I-“ finally, oh so slowly, Tweek looked at Craig. He realized that Craig’s face was also a light shade of pink. “I should go too.”

But Astra didn’t stand for it. She barked and she bit at Craig’s pants as he went to make an attempt to leave. So he looked at her, a fire blaring in his eyes as the two stared on another down.

Craig knew his dog. And she knew Craig. She had reasons for everything that she did and reasons behind the way she acted.

Astra was a quiet dog most of the time, keeping to herself and mostly taking a fascination with Craig and no one but Craig. But Tweek was different. Astra has taken to him instantly and it was odd. It was almost as if she had known him when this was their first official meeting.

But then something clicked and Craig started to get it. So her brushed her aside and kicked the toe of one of his boots against the tile as he rubbed the back of his head.

“So before I go… do you…” he looked at him again, only to catch Tweek staring at him too, “Do you maybe want to get something to eat or something eventually?”

Astra barked, and tip tapped her feet against the floor.

Tweek’s eyes grew wide and a smile spread in his face. But Craig quickly followed up his words, “maybe show me around since I really don’t know a damn thing about this place?”

“Oh…” Tweek bit his bottom lip, fumbled with the sleeve of his sweater, “yeah. That sounds nice.”

He watched as Tweek pulled out his phone and held it out, “why not put your number here so I can text you?”

With hesitation Craig grabbed the phone, staring at the screen for a while before slowly typing in the sequence of numbers that he barely remembered. He didn’t use his phone, it mostly sat on his desk and he listened to music on it.

He read the numbers over once, twice… three times, before handing the phone back to Tweek.

When the blonde took it back he smiled before quickly typing a message and pocketing his phone.

“Now you have my number. So… text me sometime?”

Craig nodded slowly, picking up Astra’s leash and and looking down at the dog who gave him a look of what Craig would call approval. 

“But I have to head out, I’ve got some homework to do. I’ll talk to you later Craig.”

Tweek made an effort to brush his hand against Craig’s as he walked past, made sure to give him a small smile over the shoulder as he got further away.

And Craig followed at a safe distance. He saw the wilted sunflower he destroyed earlier.

But then something happened.

Tweek had stopped before the flower. Looking at the wilted petals and the poor state of the once beautiful sunflower.

Craig tried to make himself go unnoticed in the aisle over but he couldn’t help but glance over and watch Tweek carefully.

He watched how Tweek picked the petals off the tile floor, generally ran his fingers over the small pile of ash.

Craig’s eyes grew wide when he saw the black fade, saw the color slowly return and the bloom return. It was as if the flower was reborn, as if he had never destroyed it in the first place.

It was a sight to watch. It was beautiful. It was something that left Craig awestruck.

And apparently it left Tweek feeling the very same way. The blonde backed away slowly, eyes wide in confusion and frustration.

“What the-?”

Craig heard him mumble under his breath. He watched as he quickly made his way out of the store and hurry down the sidewalk through the large window at the front of the store.

Craig looked down at Astra, who looked up at him with confusion on her face.

This was a lot to process, but Craig was slowly putting the pieces together. He tugged Astra along, leaving the store quickly and heading back to his apartment as his head started spinning with so many different thoughts.

Maybe this is exactly what his father was talking about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> It means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this story a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


	8. Life and Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He grabbed one of Craig’s wrists, for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, and brought his hand closer to the rose. The color fading slowly as it struggled to stay bright with Tweek’s hand also so near. But when Tweek made Craig touch the flower he watched it wilt and the color fade to an ashy black.
> 
> “I told you,” Craig pulled his hand away quickly, “I kill plants.”
> 
> “Well maybe you kill them but I can somehow bring them back.”
> 
> “Show me.”
> 
> It was nerve wracking, but he nodded. He lightly reached out, fingers gently tracing over the rose as the color started the return and the petals being rejuvenated with life. It was a sight to see for the both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my main and my writing Tumblr accounts :
> 
> Main : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://craigwritesastory.tumblr.com/

There were a few thoughts floating around in his head. Thing number one being that he had a potential date coming up sometime in the future. Thing two was that he was somehow charming enough to somehow get a really hot guy’s phone number (he hadn’t stopped thinking about Craig ever since he first saw him if he was being truthful) and thing number three, which was the most important, Tweek had somehow managed to bring a dead flower back to life. He restored the beautiful vibrant colors and it was… it was something completely new.

Shortly after that experience he had rushed out of the shop without saying goodbye to his friend because he was shocked. He kept the flower petal in his hands to fully grasp the idea.

But right now he had locked himself in his room, seated himself on his bed and looking at the bright yellow petal in his palm.

He didn’t know what came over him as he stood and grabbed a wilted lily from the flower vase at his desk. He needed to test this out, needed to see if he could do this whole thing again.

“Come on little flower,” he murmured quietly, closing his fingers gently around the petals and lowering his head to rest on his hands.

He wasn’t even sure anything was happening considering he couldn’t see, but he waited a few moments before lifting his head and slowly opening his hands, eyes wide with shock upon seeing the lily back in full bloom with vibrant orange petals that were dull before.

“ _Impossible_ …” he whispered, standing and placing the flower back into the vase with the others.

What Tweek had just witnessed seemed like a miracle and nothing less than that. Never before had he known he could do this but everything seemed to be making a little more sense in his head.

Wherever Tweek went everything was vibrant and full of life. Flowers never seemed to fully wilt and die and sunflowers instinctively followed him like they would the sun.

He even brought out the brightest sides of anyone he encountered throughout his life. It was almost as if he could lift up the saddest or darkest of moods, but of course he didn’t think anything of it at the time.

Now though? Now everything seemed to make some sense, but not much. He still had a lot of questions to ask… he wished his mom was still around. She always knew what to say to him whenever he needed advice.

“Hey Tweek,” there was a slight knock on his door, Clyde’s voice reaching his ears… and it sounded like he was chewing. “You want some pizza? Token just got back with some.”

It was as if on queue his stomach grumbled, loudly might he add, just at that simple mention of food.

“Is that a yes?”

He wasn’t about to turn down food, especially not pizza. So he opened his door and looked at Clyde with a nod.

With that, the brunette turned on his heels and walked back into the living room of their apartment, joining Token on the couch with his girlfriend.

“Hi Tweek,” Nichole was always so warm and inviting with him. But now Tweek was starting to question if any of that was genuine or if it was just an act. A facade that he somehow managed to bring out of her whenever he was in the vicinity.

He gave a small wave as he entered the kitchen, grabbing a plate from one of the cabinets and a can of soda from the fridge before joining his friends, quickly grabbing two slices from the box and sitting in the recliner with his legs up to his chest as he tried to avoid all forms of eye contact and maybe even speaking. He didn’t know. He just kind of wanted to be by himself, while also enjoying the company of others without speaking.

“You alright Tweek?” It was Token who spoke first, breaking the silence that filled the air around them for what seemed like forever. 

“Huh?” He blinked, looking over at his friends who were staring at him with a bit of concern spread across their faces. “What?”

“I asked if you were alright.”

“Oh,” he shrugged, “I guess.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

He grumbled as he took a bite of his food, turning his gaze towards the television to watch whatever it was that they had on. It was nice background noise. It was nice for him to focus on to try and drown out his friend’s voices, “not really.”

More silence. The sounds of quiet chewing hitting his ears as he continued to try and drown it all out. But eventually it became too much for him to deal with. It started to cause his senses to go into overdrive.

He finished off what was left of the pizza on his plate before standing without a word, putting his plate in the sink and retreating back into his bedroom.

It wasn’t like him go be like this, that much he knew. Hell even his friends knew this to not be the Tweek they were used to being around.

He flopped on his bed and grabbed his phone, hurriedly typing out a text to the one person he wanted to talk to right now.

‘Hey, are you free?’

‘ _ Yeah, just making dinner.’ _

_ ‘You alright?’ _

It was as if Craig could tell that something was bothering him, that something was weighing heavily on Tweek’s mind.

‘Not really.’

‘ _ Want to talk about it?’ _

‘Very much so.’

 

‘ _ Have you eaten? If it’s something important I would rather discuss it in person.’ _

_ ‘Provided, of course, that’s okay with you.’ _

Tweek bit his bottom lip, thinking this over as he typed several messages and deleting them before he could send them. If this is what the equivalent of a date was like then he was a worried mess.

‘Oh sure. I’ll need an address though.’

Within a matter of seconds Craig responded which of course made Tweek feel a little calmer. But when he stood up and noticed how he looked in his mirror he got nervous again. An old hoodie that was slowly coming undone at the seams, a pair of sweatpants that were from his high school, maybe even middle school, days and his hair looked even messier than usual.

But this was just a casual dinner at Craig’s apartment, he didn’t need to make himself look perfect but perhaps cleaning himself up a bit wouldn’t hurt.

He pulled his hoodie over his head and tossed it aside before digging through his closet, eventually settling on a university pullover. He ran his fingers through his hair, grabbed his keys, slipped on a pair of old sneakers and rushed out his bedroom.

“Hey man are you-“ Token never got the chance to finish as Tweek was already out the door, “see you later then.”

“Think he’s okay?” Nichole asked as she stood, moving over to the window and watching how Tweek hurriedly got into his car.

“He seemed a little off earlier… do you think we should go after him?” Clyde asked, a mouthful of pizza.

“How about we just talk to him later when he comes back? I’m assuming he’s probably already gone.”

And they were right, of course, Tweek had already pulled out the parking lot and was following the directions his GPS was giving him to make it to Craig’s apartment.

Which wasn’t as long of a drive as he was thinking. He was near the middle of town, not too far off from the university, and above a small little bookstore Tweek saw Craig standing in his apartment focusing on something, most likely the food he was preparing.

So Tweek went up the narrow staircase and looked at his phone to check the apartment number before knocking on the door. He was greeted with a bark and the door opening with Craig holding Astra back with his foot.

“Good timing,” he offered up a smile. “I just finished.”

“It smells great,” Tweek stepped inside as Craig moved back, Astra putting her front paws up on his leg and her fluffy tail wagging happily.

“Thank you,” he shut the door, “make yourself comfortable and I’ll get you a plate.”

So he did. Craig’s apartment was small but it was just enough for one person and a dog to call home. Tweek sat on the couch with Astra following his ever step, laying down on his lap as the blonde scratched her back with one hand and her head with the other.

When Craig returned moments later Tweek finally got the chance to really look at him, see him in a way that was outside of school. He wore sweatpants that hung low on his hips and a black t-shirt with a grey skull pattern that could’ve gone unnoticed had one not been staring. His hair was a mess, messier than Tweek had seen it be anyway, and there just seemed to be something else that was different that Tweek couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Astra down,” Craig instructed. And she listened, she was good at doing that. But she laid down at Craig’s feet once he got himself situated on the couch at Tweek’s side. “Sorry it’s a bit, I don’t know, empty?”

“Oh you’re fine.” Tweek gave him a smile, “it’s nice. I like it.”

Things were dark, at least the things that sat further away from them. Even Craig seemed to have a dark aura about him though. At least he did, before he sat next to Tweek.

The blonde really got to notice how blue his eyes were, how tan he really was and even the slightest dusting of freckles on his nose and the scar above his eyebrow. It was little details that he had never noticed before.

“Tell me what’s troubling you,” Craig didn’t hold back. He made sure to get right to the point of why Tweek was really sitting next to him in his apartment.

“Just… I discovered something about myself today that made me feel a bit, I don’t know, different? And I mean like more different then normal.”

“Which was…?”

“This is going to sound crazy and I don’t want you to think I’m crazy… but maybe I am, I haven’t figured that out yet… but uh…” he was fumbling to find the right words. His leg bouncing and one of his hands shaking slightly.

“You okay?”

“Do- do you have any flowers?”

It was in that moment that Craig knew exactly what it was that Tweek was referring to. But of course he couldn’t say anything, it would become obvious that he was watching when everything happened in the flower shop.

“I don’t have any plants unfortunately… I have uh, I have a bad rap with trying to keep living things alive,” Astra barked at him, “she, however, is the exception.”

“Huh?”

“Living things, mainly plants, don’t really stay alive in my presence or my care. Usually they’re dead damn near instantly.”

It was odd, but everyone was different. Tweek knew plants weren’t for everyone. Craig being one of those people.

“Are there any plants nearby?”

“Lady in the apartment across from me has a flower garden on the roof?”

“Perfect, lets go.”

He didn’t give Craig any time to react. He grabbed both their plates and put them aside before standing, grabbing one of Craig’s wrists and pulling him along.

They went back outside, going further up the stairs along the side of the building before reaching the roof. The sun was setting in the distance, the sky hues of pink and purple while also illuminating their bodies in an orange glow from the reflection. 

Craig kept his distance as Tweek stepped forward, the blonde not noticing until he reached a bed of roses to no longer see Craig at his side. He looked over his shoulder and saw the black haired man scratching at his arm.

“What're you doing?”

“Keeping my distance so nothing dies. I’m pretty sure Dolores would kill me if I killed her roses…”

“Oh for the love of,” Tweek made his way over and grabbed his arm, “get over here.” He pulled Craig along, noticing how everything seemed the shift as Craig got closer. The dark aura followed him, the brightness of the rose petals fading.

“What that-?” Tweek looked at him with a raised brow, “how are you doing that?”

“It’s always happened, I don’t know.”

He gave a quick shrug as he watched Tweek reach out, lightly touching a rose with his index finger. The color sparked back, the only in the bunch, leaning in towards him almost.

“Better question is how are  _ you _ doing  _ that _ ?”

“I’m not sure… I did something kind of similar earlier at the flower shop and at my apartment…”

“Did you now?”

Tweek but his lip, trying to figure this out. He grabbed one of Craig’s wrists, for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, and brought his hand closer to the rose. The color fading slowly as it struggled to stay bright with Tweek’s hand also so near. But when Tweek made Craig touch the flower he watched it wilt and the color fade to an ashy black.

“I told you,” Craig pulled his hand away quickly, “I kill plants.”

“Well maybe you kill them but I can somehow bring them back.”

“Show me.”

It was nerve wracking, but he nodded. He lightly reached out, fingers gently tracing over the rose as the color started the return and the petals being rejuvenated with life. It was a sight to see for the both of them.

But at the same time it made Tweek nervous. It made him nervous because Craig wasn’t saying anything. Instead he was watching with his arms crossed and a smug expression on his face.

“Come back to the apartment with me, I have a few things I need to enlighten you with.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> It means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this story a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


	9. Truth Be Told

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hated that he needed to do this, hated that he was going to use his powers when he really probably shouldn’t be.
> 
> Letting out a heavy sigh he snapped his fingers. Blue flames engulfed his body, and Tweek jumped back as an instinct and out of panic. He had never seen anything quite like it before in his life. It was shocking and enticing all at the same time.
> 
> He watched as the flames died down, eyes growing a little wider when he saw Craig standing before him. His hair wild like the flames with a blue glow at the end, watching how it swayed back and forth, his eyes glowing brightly, almost as if there was a fire in his pupils.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my main and my writing Tumblr accounts :
> 
> Main : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://asherwritesastory.tumblr.com/

Tweek sat on the couch with Astra’s head on his lap, her tail wagging as he petted her. He watched how Craig went through his bookcase, looking for anything that he may have had stashed away for just this type is situation to arise.

Tweek looked away for a split second, to receive a kiss from Astra, and when he looked up Craig was waking his way, then sitting down next to him on the couch.

“What’s all that?”

“Just… things I feel may better help you understand what’s happening with you.”

“Oh.”

Craig gave a slight nod before flipping through a bluish tome, stopping when he found what it was he was looking for, “so this right here… this is me.”

Tweek leaned over and placed his chin on Craig’s shoulder as he looked down at the page.

Electric blue eyes, hair ablaze in a blue flame… the features were there and the drawing looked like Craig, but for some reason Tweek had a really hard time believing that what this man was saying was the truth.

“Doesn’t look like you,” Tweek glanced over at Craig, looking at his face.

“Please don’t make me prove it to you, I’d say I already did when I killed those roses…”

Tweek moved away, giving Craig the space he needed should he choose to stand. Astra even got up and nudged her owner’s arm, pulling at the sleeve of his shirt all while her tail wagged happily. Craig groaned, eventually giving in to the dog’s demands. He hated that he needed to do this, hated that he was going to use his powers when he really probably shouldn’t be.

Letting out a heavy sigh he snapped his fingers. Blue flames engulfed his body, and Tweek jumped back as an instinct and out of panic. He had never seen anything quite like it before in his life. It was shocking and enticing all at the same time.

He watched as the flames died down, eyes growing a little wider when he saw Craig standing before him. His hair wild like the flames with a blue glow at the end, watching how it swayed back and forth, his eyes glowing brightly, almost as if there was a fire in his pupils.

“Wh-?”

“This is my god form… the form I’ve shown you and everyone else is a way for me to blend in with society.” Craig explained as he scratched the back of his neck, Astra yipping happily at his feet as she bounced up and down around him.

“And her?” Tweek pointed at the dog.

“An everyday look… you really think society would accept a three headed dog running around?”

“Aroo?” Astra stopped her jumping as she sat, looking up at Craig and tilting her head to the side while her tail continued to wag, thumping wildly against the floor.

“Can- can you show me?” Tweek’s curiosity was something that Craig appreciated. It was something that made him all the more interesting in the God’s eyes.

“If you want to see I suppose I can do that,” he looked down at the dog who put her front paws up on Craig’s leg and tried to paw at his face. “What do you say Astra? Should we show Tweek your true form?”

She barked happily, looking at Tweek with her tongue out before she ran between the two men.

“Is that a yes?” Tweek asked as he giggled.

Craig gave a nod as he kneeled down to get closer to the dogs height. She greeted him with kisses to the face as her front paws went up onto his knees.

“Ready girl?”

It was almost as if she was smiling at him as she nudged one of his hands with her head.

With a quick snap of his fingers Astra’s body was quickly consumed with a blue flame, the very same that overtook Craig’s body just moments ago.

And what emerged was a dog nearly double the size Astra once was, three heads protruding from the neck and eyes as red as fire. But she was wagging her tail and jumping up on Craig’s chest and each head was licking at his face.

“Astra get down,” Craig smiled as he pushed her down, scratching at her back.

“Incredible…” Tweek murmured under his breath as he looked onward at the sight before him. With a tentative hand he reached forward, watching how Astra nuzzled one of her heads into his hand while the other two licked at his fingers.

It was a sight to behold. A sight unlike any other he had ever seen before. It was a sight Tweek actually never thought he ever would’ve experienced in his whole entire life, but here he was.

His eyes went to Craig, a smile spreading on his lips as he stood up, slowing making his way over to the god standing in front of him.

“Tweek?”

“Incredible,” he said once more as he reached forward and placed a kind hand on Craig’s cheek. He leaned into Tweek’s touch, reaching up and placing a hand on top of the blonde’s.

It felt nice to share these secrets with someone, felt nice to know that he didn’t have to hide any longer.

“Pretty brave of you to be doing this you know.”

“I’m not scared if that’s what you’re worried about,” Tweek told him as he put his other hand on Craig’s other cheek, cupping his face and brushing his thumbs back and forth across his skin.

It was nice, and it made Craig relax, all the tension he felt in his body melting away until there was nothing left.

“I was sent to Earth to be taught a lesson in empathy… or so said my father if I’m recalling correctly. My job is not one that deals with human life, but rather their passing to the underworld. I don’t appreciate things the way I should, so I’m being forced to do so.”

“Oh, I see…”

“Never really expected to find you though.”

“Come again?”

Craig lead Tweek back to the couch, grabbing a rusty red book and flipping it open and flipping through the pages until he found the one he wanted.

“This,” Craig pointed it out easily. “It mentions of demigods, born to humans and gods or goddesses.”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

Craig placed the book on Tweek’s lap, pointing to the section he wanted the blonde to read. Tweek’s eyes scanned everything, taking in all the information that was listed there before looking back over at Craig.

“The goddess of fertility disappeared after a visit to Earth some odd years ago. From what I understand none of the others could locate her or even get in contact with her. She died three years ago.”

Tweek sat silent for a while, studying the picture of the woman on the page he was looking at. “My- my mother died three years ago…”

Craig said nothing. It was a sensitive subject he was sure, and it would certain be a difficult thing to discuss. So instead he placed a reassuring hand in Tweek’s knee and Astra laid her heads on his lap, eyes looking up at him with a certain hint of sadness behind them all.

“I know this is probably a sensitive subject for you,” Craig kept his cool and remained level headed while starting this discussion. He was prepared for things to go south should he push too hard and he was also prepared for whatever slew of emotions Tweek may experience during this conversation. “But I’d like you to understand that you have powers and abilities Tweek, just like I do, and I would like to be the one to help you try to understand just what exactly they are.”

Craig wasn’t expecting the hug. He wasn’t expecting Tweek to grab at the fabric of his shirt and for him to bury his face into his neck. Craig wasn’t the type to display his emotions, and he was unsure as to how to deal with people who showed them. So he did something simple, he looked to Astra before lightly patting Tweek on the back.

“What am I Craig?” He heard the blonde say after sitting in silence for what felt like forever.

“What do you mean?”

“What am I?” He repeated, his voice quieter this time.

“Well…” eventually Craig caved and decided to just hug him properly, “if I didn’t know any better I would say that you’re a demigod.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> It means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this story a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


	10. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There were books upon books opened up on Craig’s apartment floor as the black haired god was doing his best to explain every little detail he possibly could to the blonde. Books with pictures and books with endless paragraphs on the yellowed paper that Craig broke down into simple terms for Tweek to fully comprehend. 
> 
> “Why am I just now discovering my powers?” Tweek asked curiously as he rested his chin on Craig’s shoulder to look at the book in his hands.
> 
> Craig shrugged and cast his eyes over to look at Tweek, the faintest hint of blue light still residing there as they gave off a slight glow, “I don’t have an answer for that unfortunately.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my main and my writing Tumblr accounts :
> 
> Main : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://asherwritesastory.tumblr.com/

It was a lot to process but Craig was patient and he took his time when it came to explaining everything to Tweek about his current situation. 

Tweek’s father was human born and his mother was a goddess who made the decision to stay on earth upon meeting his father.

Which explained Tweek’s powers when it came to reviving things that had died.

He was the exact opposite of Craig which, in his mind, made them be a perfect match for one another. Perhaps that explained why Tweek was so drawn to him, so infatuated with Craig’s very existence as a person.

There were books upon books opened up on Craig’s apartment floor as the black haired god was doing his best to explain every little detail he possibly could to the blonde. Books with pictures and books with endless paragraphs on the yellowed paper that Craig broke down into simple terms for Tweek to fully comprehend. 

“Why am I just now discovering my powers?” Tweek asked curiously as he rested his chin on Craig’s shoulder to look at the book in his hands.

Craig shrugged and cast his eyes over to look at Tweek, the faintest hint of blue light still residing there as they gave off a slight glow, “I don’t have an answer for that unfortunately.”

Astra came trotting out of Craig’s room, having returned to her normal and acceptable appearance hours ago, and sat beside Craig on the floor before deciding to lay down and put her head on his knee. Her tail wagged, thumping against the floor with each fluid movement as she licked at his knuckles.

“I guess they were just sitting dormant in you all this time however the answer as to why they’re just now manifesting is beyond me.”

Tweek moved from his position on the couch to be by Craig’s side, his head now leaning against his shoulder as his eyes scanned over the pages to try and really take in all this new found information that was being presented to him.

“Why would no one tell me about this?”

“Maybe your parents assumed you wouldn’t develop any sort of abilities and chose against telling you about the possibility.”

Tweek took it in, listening and understanding everything Craig was telling him. Because all of this was so new and kind of exciting to the blonde and he was so eager to learn more.

But his body was advising against it. His eyelids were getting heavy and he let out a yawn, his body completely relaxing as he nuzzled up against Craig to feel the warmth that was radiating from him.

“Sleepy?”

“No,” Tweek spoke through a yawn which caused Craig to let out a quiet chuckle. “Okay maybe a little.”

“Come on,” Craig set the book aside and standing carefully as to make sure Tweek didn’t fall over. He held out a hand and offered up a small grin. “You can stay in my bed tonight and I’ll take the couch.”

“Oh no I can’t do that to you! I’ll take the couch…” Tweek did his best to scoot up onto the couch, offering up a smile. “I’ll be alright, honest!”

Craig rolled his eyes and pulled him up to his feet, “don’t fight me on this. Take the bed, Astra will keep you company so long as you don’t mind her being up there with you.”

His eyes went down to the dog who was laying on her back, fuzzy belly exposed with her legs up in the air as she snored softly.

“I still don’t feel right about sleeping in your bed.”

“Tough shit, I said so.”

Tweek had to do his best to try not to laugh out loud at Craig’s choice of wording. He held his hand tightly, feeling the heat radiating in Craig’s palm, which in turn started to warm up his body. It was comforting to know that there was always going to be that constant warmth in Tweek’s life whenever he found himself this close to Craig.

He could hardly keep his eyes open even though the walk from the couch to Craig’s bedroom was a short one. Tweek was leaning all of his weight on Craig’s forearm and shoulder as he took slow and steady steps, his feet dragging on the floor.

“Tweek,” Craig gently nudged him. The blonde’s eyes fluttered open slowly as he lifted his head and yawned.

“Ha?”

“Lay down.”

Craig was careful and gentle, being well aware of the fact that Tweek was half asleep. He helped him lay down, managed to help him get under the blankets that were thrown about on Craig’s bed.

“Hey,” Tweek grabbed at Craig’s hand right as Astra jumped up onto the bed and settled herself at Tweek’s feet.

“Yeah?” Craig sat at Tweek’s side, looking down at the blonde as he yawned slightly. His night of teaching was starting to catch up to him, was starting to tire him out and make his body slowly succumb to the exhaustion that was washing over him.

“Just stay in here. Please?”

Craig could see the look Tweek was giving him even in the darkness of the room, could feel the way he was squeezing his hand and holding him in place. And it was somewhat comforting.

And staying in someone else’s apartment was probably a strange concept for Tweek. Especially because he and Craig barely even knew each other and they had some sort of weird moment not too long ago where Craig spilled his truth and enlightened Tweek to his potential.

So Craig let out a sigh and grabbed one of the blankets at the foot of his bed that Astra usually slept on and got comfortable on the recliner, covering himself with the blanket and looking over at Tweek.

“Happy now?”

He could see Tweek nod, even as his eyelids grew heavier in the darkness of the room, even as sleep overcame him.

“Yes, very…” Tweek pulled the covers up, lazily petting at Astra’s head. “Hey Craig?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks. For everything.”

“You’re welcome Tweek.”

“Good night Craig.”

“Good night Tweek.”

It didn’t take long for sleep to overcome them both as they drifted off into the darkness of the room, surrounded by the peaceful noise of the night.

Come tomorrow there would probably be so many more questions on Tweek’s end and Craig would do his best to answer all of them to the best of his ability.

Come tomorrow there would be the frantic overtaking of studying for tests looming over the college student (the actual college student) but none of that mattered right now.

But right now their minds were at peace as they were lost in their dreams and the peaceful bliss that sleep granted to them both. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> It means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this story a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


	11. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tweek would be blind if he didn’t see the faint blush creeping up on Craig’s cheeks after he had kissed him, would be oblivious if he didn’t see the faintest hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.
> 
> It was a nice sight to see.
> 
> “I didn’t do anything though.”
> 
> “You did a lot more than you think.” Tweek let go of Craig’s hands and have him one last smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my main and my writing Tumblr accounts :
> 
> Main : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://asherwritesastory.tumblr.com/

Morning came quicker than either would’ve liked. The warm beams of sunlight peeking in through Craig’s blinds graced Tweek’s eyelids with its presence as he turned away to face the wall and held a pillow over his head to obstruct the nuisance from waking him even further. 

But Craig didn’t seem to mind any, he had been up for the past few hours just absentmindedly scrolling through his phone, looking at nothing in particular. 

Until his phone let out a small chime and a small banner appeared at the top of the screen alerting him of a new message.

And it caught him off guard. But he looked at it, his eyes widening a bit upon the realization as to who was sending him a message.

_ ‘Your father wants to talk.’ _

The fact alone that his father actually wanted to talk to him after casting him aside was a shocker. And the fact that his mother was the one to bare the message came as an even bigger shock to him.

But of course he was going to take all of this with a grain of salt however his curiosity was peaked.

_ ‘What about?’ _

_ ‘I don’t know. Can you meet today?’ _

_ ‘Where?’ _

_ ‘We’ll come to you.’ _

Of course he was left with even more questions then he had answers, but all in all things seemed to be going fairly well based on what he and his mother had discussed.

Craig stood from the chair he was seated in and made his way over to Tweek, giving him a gentle nudge on the shoulder with one hand while petting Astra with the other.

“Tweek.”

The blonde groaned in response.

“Tweek, get up.”

The blonde stirred slightly, rolling over just a bit to open one eye and look up at the black haired god that stood before him. He rubbed at his eyes and let out a yawn, “what time is it?”

“Ten I think?” Craig offered up a shrug as he sat down, his eyes focused on Tweek as he watched his every little movement.

Tweek’s eyes went wide when realization dawned on him. Today was the start of exam week, and he had one he needed to get to within the next forty five minutes.

“I have an exam!”

The blonde sprang out of bed, hurrying around the room to throw on a hoodie, not his, a pair of socks, also not his, and some shoes, which were in fact his, before stopping dead in his tracks and staring over at Craig.

“Thank you.” He smiled sweetly at the other man as he approached, grabbing both of Craig’s hands in his own and giving him a light kiss on the cheek.

“For, uh, for what?”

“For everything.”

Tweek would be blind if he didn’t see the faint blush creeping up on Craig’s cheeks after he had kissed him, would be oblivious if he didn’t see the faintest hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

It was a nice sight to see.

“I didn’t do anything though.”

“You did a lot more than you think.” Tweek let go of Craig’s hands and gave him one last smile before getting ready to head out of the door, “I have to leave now but are you opposed to having me come back later?”

“I… no, not at all actually. Just let me know when you’re coming? In case I’m not here I mean.”

Tweek nodded, before bolting towards the door upon realizing he had spent the past ten minutes just socializing and doing a terrible attempt at flirting, if one could even actually call it that.

Craig watched him go, heard his front door shut and finally collapsed back down in his chair as his heart hammered in his chest. And not too much longer after that Astra came trotting over and plopped down at Craig’s feet, her tail wagging back and forth happily.

“Oh Astra,” Craig put his head in his hands. “What am I going to do?”

The dog glanced up at him and tilted her head to the side, letting out a little noise of confusion.

Craig ran his fingers through his hair before rubbing at the nape of his neck, “I’m fucked.”

It’s not like the dog really knew what it was Craig was saying, but in a way she did. She knew enough to know that he was in a state of distress. She stretched out her limbs as she stood before jumping up into his lap, her fluffy body slightly crushing him under her weight as she licked at his face with her front paws up on his chest.

“I appreciate the help but get down,” he nudged her gently to push her down. And she understood. She nuzzled up against him and continued to wag her tail as Craig scratched at her head.

It was funny really, how well Astra understood him, and how well she knew when he really needed her most. She was his companion as they traveled through this crazy life together, and Craig wouldn’t ever change that.

“Come on,” he stood slowly and she jumped down from his lap. “It’s early and I’m hungry.”

Astra barked happily. She knew what hungry meant, and she was more than excited… at least from what Craig could tell.

So he made himself a simple breakfast burrito, and Astra ate her food, scarfing it down from her dish and licking the bottom to make sure she got every last little piece of kibble before sitting and looking up at Craig with her big brown eyes.

“No,” he put the last of his food into his mouth as he glanced down at her. “I already fed you, not my fault you ate it all already.”

Astra whined before laying down at Craig’s feet, occasionally glancing up at him in hopes of maybe he would give her the scraps from his plate, but she of course wasn’t that lucky. Try as she might Craig didn’t give in to his whining dog’s demands to be fed more food.

And after a while she calmed down, laying down belly up as Craig sat on his couch watching some stupid show on his television set that he somehow found himself watching from time to time no matter how dumb it was. 

But what pulled Craig away from mindless hours of television was the sudden knock on his apartment door. The noise caused Astra to be on her guard, rolling over quickly and growling at the door lowly as she followed closely behind Craig as he made his way over.

He wasn’t expecting anyone, well except for his parents, but he hoped they would have enough common decency to at least let him know before they were coming instead of showing up randomly and unexpectedly.

When he opened the door he groaned and rolled his eyes before standing off to the side and holding his dog back with his foot, “Tricia…”

“Don’t act so surprised big brother,” she made her way in and got comfortable on his recliner.

“What're you doing here?”

“She came with us,” Craig’s attention snapped back towards the door as his mother and father stood there elegantly dressed as always. “May we come in?”

“It’s rude to show up unannounced,” Craig rolled his eyes once more as he eyed his father up and down but ultimately welcoming them in and shutting the door behind them. “Awfully dressed up to come visit don’t you think?”

“Please,” his father sat on his couch which his eyes still on his son. “Your mother and I were out on business so we decided to just stop by.”

“Fantastic.” Craig sat down on his floor, back against the wall and one knee up to his chest while Astra laid across the other.

“So tell me,” Thomas looked over at his son with a raised eyebrow and a serious tone in his voice as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a picture.

He leaned forward and handed it over to Craig who studied it with wavering eyes before finally realizing what he was looking at.

It was a picture of him and Tweek at the little on campus coffee shop they had visited earlier last week. They were both happy and smiling, one of Tweek’s hands resting on Craig’s arms as Craig was holding his coffee cup in one hand.

The picture brought a small smile to Craig’s face, which quickly faded when he remembered his parents and sister were in the room.

Tricia was staring at him with a smug grin on her face while his parents expressions both remained stone cold.

_ Just great. _

“Who’s that young man sweetheart?” His mother’s voice was kind, but he could tell she wanted to weasel the truth out of him eventually in her own way.

“A kid I met in one of my classes, he invited me out to get some coffee so I accepted,” he played it off as if it was nothing. “Who took this?”

“You like him don’t you?” His sister asked as she wiggled her eyebrows. 

“I do not!” That was a lie on his end but he couldn’t give Tricia the satisfaction of knowing she was right.

“Just be honest sweetheart, we just want to know.”

“We’re just friends!”

“Craig…”

He looked between all of his family members with flames in his eyes. He knew it would be pointless to argue but perhaps he could convince them against something that they most likely already knew the correct answer to. 

“What?”

“Tell us the truth.”

He growled. Because this was going to be one hell of an awkward family reunion on everyone’s end. 

“I am! And who the fuck took this?!”

There was no answer from either of his parents and his sister remained quiet as well. Eventually someone would have to speak and let the truth come out, and Craig didn’t plan on having that person to be him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> It means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this story a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


	12. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tweek’s face got even redder, his freckles standing out against the contrast of his deep red cheeks as he looked down at his feet. If this was Craig confessing how he actually felt about him then wow it was unexpected, at least in Tweek’s eye anyway, and he was internally jumping for joy while butterflies filled his tummy.
> 
> “So you uh… you like- _like_ me?”
> 
> “Mm,” Craig nodded as he hummed out his answer as he found himself a little tongue tied and unable to actually choke out any words. “Was that not obvious?”
> 
> “Well I mean kind of? I just thought you were really nice! I’m really bad at reading people.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my main and my writing Tumblr accounts :
> 
> Main : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://asherwritesastory.tumblr.com/
> 
> I’m accepting writing prompts over on my tumblr page so feel free to suggests some things!

The front door to Craig’s apartment opened and in walked a mess of blonde hair wearing an oversized grey sweater. However the smile on his face faded when he saw the distressed look on Craig’s face and the three unknown people sitting in his living room.

“Am I interrupting?”

Tricia offered up a smile as she stood and made her way over to Tweek, holding out her hand for a handshake. Tweek took it with a bit of apprehension but managed to muster up a small smile to make things appear to be less awkward.

“You must be Craig’s mystery man,” Tricia was upfront and it brought nothing but confusion to Tweek’s face as he watched how the corners of her lips turned up into a smile. “We were just discussing you.”

“Pardon?”

“Just ignore her,” Craig rolled his eyes as he came up behind his sister and pulled her hand off of Tweek’s. “They were just leaving.”

“I don’t remember discussing-“

“Get out,” Craig opened the front door of his apartment and pointed to the hallway as flames started to blaze in his pupils and his hair becoming a brilliant shade of blue as it stood up on edge like an open fire and the veins in his arms illuminating under his skin. “ _Now.”_

His parents stood, his father giving him a look that was one of displeasure. His mother on the other hand simply smiled, giving her son a quick and light hug as she approached, “we’ll call you later.”

“Don’t expect me to answer.” He shut the door without them saying another word to him, locking the deadbolt before they tried to weasel their way back inside.

But he let out a sigh of relief as his eyes met Tweek’s, his body relaxing and he felt a wave of relief wash over him as he felt his body temperature cooling, knowing he was returning back to his usual cool and collected self.

“Was that your family?”

“Unfortunately,” Craig made his way over to the couch beside Astra, the dog moving so her head was resting on his lap.

Tweek followed, sitting at Craig’s over side and putting his bag down by his feet as he kicked off his shoes before bringing his feet up onto the couch, “are they-?”

“Yes.”

“Ah,” Tweek bit his bottom lip before resting his head on Craig’s shoulder. “What’d they want… if you don’t me asking.”

“To talk about you.”

“Me?! Why would they want to talk about me?! Did I get you into trouble?! I didn’t want that to happen!” The words came out of his mouth so fast that Craig could barely even register what he was saying.

“Tweek you need to calm down,” Craig placed a reassuring hand on his knee and rested his chin on top of Tweek’s head, hoping that perhaps it would help.

And it did.

Tweek took a few deep breaths as his body relaxed and his mind stopped racing before starting over with his questions at a slower pace, “what about me?”

“Wanted to know who you were… said you were just a friend.”

There was something about the way Craig used the word friend that made Tweek’s heart sink. It somehow solidified the fact that the feeling he was feeling were completely one sided and that he was just a fool who was slowly falling in love with a God.

“They kept pushing though, didn’t believe me when I said that.”

Craig could see Tweek’s heart sinking when he lifted his head slightly to look down at him, could see his face falling. And that wasn’t what he wanted. He liked seeing Tweek happy, liked seeing that bright smile and seeing his eyes light up with joy at the littlest of things.

“But I’m a terrible liar…” Craig rubbed at the back of his neck as he looked up at the ceiling, the faintest hint of a blush creeping up on his cheeks that caused his skin to burn a little hotter than usual.

“Wh- What?”

“Don’t make me say that again,” he managed to look down once again as he mustered up enough courage to do so and offer up a small grin. And he was able to get a clear look at the pink color on Tweek’s cheeks in the process.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Come on Tweek, it’s pretty obvious isn’t it?”

Tweek’s face got even redder, his freckles standing out against the contrast of his deep red cheeks as he looked down at his feet. If this was Craig confessing how he actually felt about him then wow it was unexpected, at least in Tweek’s eye anyway, and he was internally jumping for joy while butterflies filled his tummy.

“So you uh… you like- _like_ me?”

“Mm,” Craig nodded as he hummed out his answer as he found himself a little tongue tied and unable to actually choke out any words. “Was that not obvious?”

“Well I mean kind of? I just thought you were really nice! I’m really bad at reading people.”

Craig chuckled a little as he scooted back a little in the couch to look at Tweek, “that’s mostly my fault actually. I’m afraid I’m not the best at expressing my feelings.”

The air around them filled with silence as they simply stared at one another for what felt like a never ending eternity. It was clear that neither had the proper words to share what they wanted to say so instead Tweek got bold, leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Craig’s lips, listening to the quiet noise he made in response.

And just as Craig brought a hand up to the blonde’s cheek he pulled away slowly and opened his eyes, just in time to see Craig’s open slowly, glowing a brilliant shade of bright blue.

“Sorry, I’m sorry! Was that too much?”

“No uh… no. Not at all actually, that was nice.”

“Your um, your eyes are…” Tweek made a gesture with his hands, unsure of how to really clarify they were glowing without actually saying it.

But his actions weren’t being understood.

Craig raised an eyebrow as he looked down at Tweek, “my eyes are…?”

“They’re glowing.”

Craig blinked quickly before Tweek noticed the color fade back to normal and the glow stop peaking through his closed eyelids.

“Better!”

Tweek reached forward and brushed Craig’s bangs aside, his hand eventually cupping his cheek and rubbing his thumb back and forth across Craig’s skin.

Craig relaxed instantly, bringing a hand up to Tweek’s and leaning into the touch, letting the outside feeling of warmth overtake his body.

He could certainly get use to this.

“Hey Craig?”

“Yes Tweek?”

“I really like spending time with you. And- and I really like that you’re helping me figure out who I am.”

Craig moved his head just a bit, his lips meeting Tweek’s palm as he kissed lightly, “you’re welcome.”

“Hey Craig?”

“Hmm?”

“Are your parents mad? Like about us?”

That was a difficult question, one that Craig wasn’t sure if he could properly answer or not. Because the conversation with his parents was replaying in his head over and over again.

_“Craig you can’t just go gallivanting around with some human!”_

_“He’s not just a human though! He has powers, I’ve seen them.”_

_“Even so, that’d make him a lesser god.”_

_“I understand you’re lonely sweetheart but perhaps your dad could set you up with someone nice, someone like Thomas, he was such a lovely young man.”_

_“He was a one time thing, okay?”_

_“People talk hon. They’re already talking about you and this boy… how he’s using you to come into more power. It might be best if the two of you keep your distance for a while.”_

“Craig?” He heard Tweek snap his fingers a few times, “can you hear me?”

“Oh yeah I- yeah. I’m fine, just zoned out for a bit there.”

More silence. Their eyes locked on one another as Tweek bit his bottom lip and bounced one of his legs in anticipation as to what Craig was going to possibly say next.

“What’s wrong?”

Craig’s parents words were still ringing fresh in his ears. And in order for their suspicion to go down and stop the others from talking he needed to do something that was absolutely going to destroy him.

“I just need some space.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> It means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this story a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


	13. Sorrow and Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tweek was left heartbroken.
> 
> Heartbroken because Craig had told him exactly how he felt about him, which made his heart soar, and then proceeded to tell him that he needed some space… which felt like Craig has effectively ripped out Tweek’s heart and stomped it into thousands of broken pieces.
> 
> And okay, maybe Tweek was being dramatic about the whole situation but he was just sad. He was upset, and he was hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my main and my writing Tumblr accounts :
> 
> Main : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://asherwritesastory.tumblr.com/
> 
> I’m accepting writing prompts over on my tumblr page so feel free to suggest some things!

It had been a week since Tweek had last seen Craig. Or even since he had heard from him. He wouldn’t answer any texts, he wouldn’t answer his front door, but Tweek could always hear Astra barking from the other side, and he didn’t see him around campus…

And Tweek was left heartbroken.

Heartbroken because Craig had told him exactly how he felt about him, which made his heart soar, and then proceeded to tell him that he needed some space… which felt like Craig has effectively ripped out Tweek’s heart and stomped it into thousands of broken pieces.

And okay, maybe Tweek was being dramatic about the whole situation but he was just sad. He was upset, and he was hurt. And because of that all the plants that were in his apartment had managed to lose their vibrant shades of colors and beautiful hues and just look as sad as Tweek felt.

He was thankful for Clyde and Token because they had tried a countless number of things to make him feel better, bless their hearts, and Clyde convinced Bebe and Nichole to take him out and about to try and keep him occupied with something that would hopefully bring him out of the darkness of his bedroom.

It didn’t work.

Because, of course, all he could think about was Craig. About his dumb smile, and his stupid pretty eyes, and his voice… just… everything he thought about was Craig and all that did was break his heart even more.

He could’ve sworn he saw Craig at least twice when he went to the store a few days ago. Could’ve swore he saw him out and about at a park with Astra yesterday. And who knows, maybe he did. But Craig certainly didn’t acknowledge him if that was the case.

Tweek knew he shouldn’t be this upset about it. Knew that he should just let it go and carry on with his life… but he couldn’t. He just couldn’t bring himself to move on from the first guy he actually had real feelings for.

If this is what heartbreak felt like, and Tweek was pretty sure it was, then it sucked. He hated falling in love, he hated having his heart stepped on, he hated having his emotions toyed with. Everything just felt like a huge slap in the face and it made him want to just die.

“Hey Tweek,” the subtle knocking on his bedroom door made him poke his head out from under his blankets. “Buddy, you okay?”

He knew he should answer, but then Clyde would know that he had been crying. And Tweek hated that he was crying over some stupid boy.

“I’m fine!” He did his best to sound normal, did his best to not sound like he was slowly losing his voice because his vocal cords were inflamed.

It almost went unnoticed but he heard Clyde let out a soft sigh. He heard him lean his head back against the door. He knew Clyde wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”

So Tweek did the only thing he could possibly think of doing at this very moment. He decided to get himself out of bed, cocooned in his blanket, and leaned his back up against his door.

“Okay, I’m talking.”

“You’re just humoring me, aren't you?”

“Of course I am.”

There was silence for a moment. It was so quiet that Tweek could actually hear his heart beating in his chest. And it was eerie.

“My heart hurts Clyde…”

“Sometimes that happens Tweek. I’m sorry it happened to you though, you don’t deserve it.”

“I miss him so much…”

He couldn’t help himself as the tears started to fall.

* * *

 It had been a month now since Tweek had seen Craig and his heart was still slowly healing. And he didn’t find himself thinking about Craig as often as he once did. And sure, he found himself thinking about him from time to time but he didn’t get as sad as he once did. He wasn’t crying over him any more.

Right now Tweek was just living. He was getting his life back on track and he was finally starting to get over the feelings he once felt for Craig… but it was still iffy.

Tweek wasn’t sure if the feeling would ever disappear completely, so he would learn to deal with it. He would learn to just suffer and learn how to live with the constant feeling of a broken heart.

Tweek found himself working more than usual. What with classes being out for the summer he wanted to make sure that he could keep himself occupied as much as he could.

He wanted to keep his mind focused on other things.

And for the most part it worked… until it didn’t.

“What can I get for you today?” He smiled happily at the man in front of him.

A taller man, well he was taller than him anyway, with shaggy dirty blonde hair and blue eyes that almost looked purple when the light hit them a certain way.

“Are you Tweek?”

Tweek raised a brow as he studied this guy. How did he know him? Tweek had never seen this guy before a day in his life.

“I- yes?”

The man reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope, then he grabbed one of Tweek’s wrists and placed the paper right into his palm as he gave a crooked grin. Tweek’s eyes studied what he was just given, the confusion not once leaving his face.

“What is this?”

“It’s a letter.”

“Why should I take this? Or better yet, why should I accept anything from a stranger?”

The man slightly chuckled, “my name is Kenny. I’m a messenger and that, my friend, is a message from one tall, dark and brooding.”

“Who the hell is-“

_Oh._

It was starting to make some sense now.

Tweek made his hand into a tight fist, crinkling the envelope and the contents that were inside before shoving it against Kenny’s chest, “I don’t want it.”

“No?”

“Tell him he can screw off!”

Tweek wanted to say so much more, but he had to censor himself because he was in a public setting, at _work_ , and he couldn’t risk saying something that could cause him to quite possibly lose his job.

“That bitter huh?”

“Of course I’m bitter!” Tweek damn near threw his apron off over his head and onto the floor, but not before grabbing Annie by the wrist and pulling her over so he could take a moment to deal with this guy.

“Tweek?”

“Five minutes Annie, _please_.”

She nodded when she saw the pleading look in his eyes. When she saw just how desperate he was to talk to whoever the hell this guy was.

“Okay, five minutes… but you owe me Tweek.”

He nodded as he took off his apron and set it on the back counter before entering the front area, pulling the blonde haired man aside and out of earshot of the other patrons.

“What the hell does he possibly want?”

“To explain his side of things.”

“He left, what in the hell is there for him to explain to me that could possibly make any of that any better?”

Kenny chuckled as he, once again, put the crinkled envelope into Tweek’s hands, smiling to nobody in particular, “do you know why he left?”

“No! All that jerk told me was that he needed some space and I haven’t seen or heard from him since then!”

Kenny reached back into his jacket and pulled out something else. Something that he made sure to delicately put into Tweek’s hands.

“What the hell is this?”

“Why don’t you look at it and find out instead of asking?”

Tweek groaned in annoyance but did as he was told, his eyes slowly lowering to look at the thing that Kenny had just given him.

And it wasn’t what he was expecting. It was a picture, a picture of him and Craig no less, of the two of them sitting in the small café when they first decided to hang out together after class.

Tweek remembered that day well. It was the day that he could just feel himself slowly falling in love with that mystery man who just so happened to randomly show up in his class that day.

“Why are you showing me this?”

“Because that’s why he left,” Kenny explained as he pulled out a chair at a nearby table and sat down. He used his foot to kick out the chair opposite him as he gestured for Tweek to sit down.

“Because of this stupid picture?”

“No, no! Because his parents didn’t exactly approve of what was happening and neither did any of the elder gods.”

Tweek rolled his eyes and sat, “I don’t follow.”

Kenny couldn’t help but laugh again. “Why don’t you just read the letter I gave you, it’ll be best if you hear it come from him.”

“But I don’t-“

Tweek didn’t even see Kenny leave, but he was gone before he could even finish his sentence. His eyes scanned everywhere and managed to catch a glimpse of his orange jacket amongst the crowd of people outside… and it left Tweek completely flabbergasted because wow was that guy quick.

* * *

Tweek still refused to look at the letter. It had been another month and he had completely forgotten about it if he was being honest.

But then Clyde found it buried away in the depths of the drawer on one of their end tables and had taken it upon himself to open it since it didn’t have a name on it after all.

“Tweek!” He knocked vigorously on Tweek’s bedroom door in quick and frantic motions. “Tweek I know you’re in there buddy, open the door!”

Tweek managed to pull himself out of bed and wander over to his door as he scratched the back of his head as he yawned, “yeah?”

Clyde shoved the paper into his hands, “read that!”

“What the hell is this?”

“It’s from Craig, dude, I found it buried away in one of the end table’s drawers.”

The mention of his name made Tweek’s stomach flip, and it made his heart race just a little quicker than usual. He should be over this feeling, should be over Craig… but he guessed he wasn’t. He guessed he would never actually ever be over him.

“Why did you open this?” He sounded more annoyed than he had intended to.

“Because there was no name on it and I wanted to know what it was before I threw it away.”

“You should’ve.”

“Just read it Tweek, damn…”

Tweek rolled his eyes and made his way over to his bed, turning on the small lamp that sat on his bedside table as he carefully looked over this letter that everyone was trying to get him to read.

_‘Tweek,_

_I apologize for what happened between the two of us… but things were happening too quickly and it scared me._

_It scared me because I’ve never actually felt the way I felt about you with anyone else before._

_It scared me because I had people telling me that they didn’t approve of what was happening… and although it sounds silly I’m held to much higher standards given my, uh, position._

_When others heard of me spending my time with a lesser god, a Demigod, they started to disapprove and throw around all sorts of accusations that were completely false._

_I needed some time to diffuse the situation and to really think about everything._

_I understand if you don’t want to speak to me anymore. Hell, I understand if you never want to see me again… but I would like to make things right. I would like the chance to speak to you one last time before you shut me out completely._

_If you’re feeling up to it, whenever that may be, I’ll be waiting for you by the Acherôn. And before you say you don’t know how to get there just call for Hermès, er Kenny, using the number proved below and he’ll get you there safely._

_All my best,_

_Craig’_

Tweek scanned the letter once more and read the number below before eventually looking up at Clyde who was bouncing up and down on his heels.

“I have a lot of questions regarding what the hell that letter is about, but the most important one I have is are you going to meet with him?”

Tweek sighed and started to bite at his thumb nail. He had to think about this long and hard before he hastily made a decision that he may ultimately regret in the end.

“You know what,” he offered up a weak smile, “I think I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> It means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this story a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


	14. Brought to Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time seemed to pass by slowly. Tweek felt like he had paced back and forth in the apartment for what felt like hours. He didn’t quite understand how Clyde was remaining so well put together during this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my Tumblr accounts :
> 
> Personal : https://masked-vigilante.tumblr.com/
> 
> Writing : https://asherwritesastory.tumblr.com/
> 
> I’m accepting writing prompts over on my tumblr page so feel free to suggest some things!

It wasn’t exactly an ideal way to spend his afternoon but Tweek had decided to fill Clyde in on everything and anything that had happened in his life… well at least anything that had happened within the past couple of months. 

Anything ranging from his newfound powers, to Craig’s…  _ position _ , and everything in between that Craig had told him. He made sure to let Clyde know about it all.

“You mean to tell me that guy is a  _ God _ ?!” Clyde’s eyes were wide and his jaw hanging open slightly as he continued to stare at Tweek. Continued to try his best to grasp at the situation at hand.

But there was something…  _ off _ . Something not quite right about the way Clyde reacted. It was almost as if, in a weird way, he knew and he was simply faking the shock and awe factor of it all. 

“Yes.”

Tweek almost felt ashamed of admitting it. Maybe Craig didn’t want people to know. Maybe it would be best if people didn’t know. But it was too late, there was nothing Tweek could do at this point to take it all back and make it so Clyde never heard any of it. 

“Please don’t tell anyone though Clyde…” Tweek was pleading as he held Clyde’s hands on his own.

“I won’t say a word…” Clyde smiled, “but you need to take me with you.”

“Excuse me? Clyde I can’t take a mortal with me into the realm of a god!”

Clyde bit his bottom lip and scratched at his upper arm as he avoided making any and all eye contact with the blonde sitting beside him.

“There’s a lot of things I haven’t exactly told you either Tweek…”

Tweek sat there baffled, completely confused by this shocking turn of events. Sure, he and Clyde were roommates and, more importantly, they were friends… but Clyde told Tweek everything. He was an open book who would just go on and on about each and every little thing in his life.

But he guessed that he was wrong. And he guessed that maybe his assumption of Clyde knowing more than he let on was correct.

“What're you talking about Clyde?”

“I’ll explain in due time buddy… but for now, just call the messenger.”

All Tweek could do was muster up the strength he needed to nod. He bit his tongue to refrain from asking any questions that he had swirling around in his mind. So instead he managed to dial the number into his phone and listen to the ringing.

It seemed to be endless, an end not ever coming into play. It was just ringing, and ringing, the ringing just echoing in his ears and rattling around in his head. It was the only thing he could hear, the only thing he could focus on. It was terrible. 

Until finally… it stopped. And a bright, cheerful voice filled the other end of the line. 

_ “This is Kenny, what can I-“ _

“I need you to take me to him.”

Tweek could practically hear Kenny smiling on the other end of the phone. Tweek looked over at Clyde who was simply bouncing with anticipation as he held a wide smile on his face. 

_ “Give me twenty and I’ll be there.” _

* * *

Time seemed to pass by slowly. Tweek felt like he had paced back and forth in the apartment for what felt like hours. He didn’t quite understand how Clyde was remaining so well put together during this time.

He just sat on the couch and was absentmindedly scrolling through his phone, occasionally smiling when he saw something that he liked. 

“Hey Tweek look at this, it’s a video of a cat that-“ But he stopped suddenly when he saw the distress on the blonde’s face. Clyde went to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder, “you doing okay?”

“He said twenty minutes, where is he?”

“It’s only been ten minutes though?”

Tweek’s eyebrows knit together before he made his way over to the couch and sat, he put his hands on his cheeks and blew a raspberry as he closed his eyes.

“Keep me distracted for the next ten minutes then?”

Clyde thought for a moment before he nodded and sat down at Tweek’s side, pocketing his phone and kicking up his feet to rest on the coffee table.

“How about I tell you a story? A story that you might find quite difficult to believe to be true when it really is?”

Tweek’s interest was peaked as he sat up and looked at the brunette with a curious expression.

“What if I told you I was Hercules?”

* * *

The knock on the door came at the perfect time, Kenny opening it and allowing him entry to the apartment as if he lived there himself.

“Hey there every- Clyde?”

“Hey there buddy!”

Tweek sat there flabbergasted, watching the exchange between the two men. He had found it difficult to believe at first, but knowing that Craig was a god and Kenny, too, was as well… it made everything more believable.

“Ready to go?” Kenny finally paid him some attention, pulling the blonde into a hug and patting his back.

“Yes.”

“Great, then let’s get going.”

* * *

Getting to the Underworld was nothing. Kenny had made Clyde and Tweek dress in a traditional garb to allow them to blend in with their surroundings and not draw any unnecessary amounts of attention to themselves. It was weird though, seeing all those people standing there and waiting to be ferried over to the other side.

“I don’t like this place,” Tweek grabbed onto Clyde’s arm and held at the cloth tightly that hung there with a tight fist.

“It’s not that bad,” Kenny chimed in as he smiled brightly. His hands resting behind his head as he lead the two men onward. “I mean yeah it’s kind of depressing but it’s really not bad!”

“Uh huh…” Tweek’s eyes scanned his surroundings as he refused to let go of Clyde, refused to stray too far away from his friend.

The amounts of souls that lined the shore saddened him. The lack of color depressed him. Everything was bleck, everything smelled of death (which was to be expected) and what Tweek could only identify as the smell of burning oak wood.

“Ah,” the voice behind them started Tweek, causing him to jump and let out a quiet noise of shock. Clyde has to do his best to stifle a laugh at Tweek’s reaction. “Nice to see you all.”

As much as Tweek wanted to be excited to see him, he couldn’t bring himself to do so. But Craig looked handsome; his hair a blaze of blue fire, a black robe wrapped around him, draped over one shoulder, that exposed the muscles of his arms and a golden belt wrapped around his waist, with a black crown on his head. The smile on his face was welcoming and warm, his eyes locked on Tweek and Tweek alone.

It caused him to blush and hide his face a little out of embarrassment.

And behind him was Astra, her body towering over her owner, her tail wagging happily while each head stared at the three people standing in front of her owner, her eyes (each set of them) were staring intently, and she looked the happiest to see Tweek. 

But to Craig’s left was a person that Tweek had never seen before. He wasn’t entirely sure who he was but he held Craig’s hand and leaned into his side.

“Nice to see you decided to come and discuss things with me.”

“This is-  _ fuck _ \- who you’ve been talking about?”

Tweek looked at the blonde on Craig’s arm, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Clyde saw it, Kenny saw it. But Kenny was the one who decided to act upon it and say something. He leaned in close to Tweek’s ear, keeping his voice at a near whisper.

“That’s Thomas, Craig’s uh… well it’s complicated but they use to date.”

“ _ Use _ to? If that’s the case then  _ why _ is he here?”

Kenny could see the fury flooding Tweek’s face as he pulled away. But he couldn’t help but smirk. Tweek could deny this for as long as he lived but it was clear as day to anyone that Tweek was jealous.

_ “Don’t ask me, I have no idea.” _

“Come, we have much to discuss.” Craig continued to smile as he held out his free hand towards the trio before turning his back with Thomas in tow.

The blonde looked over his shoulder and offered up a sinister smile while glaring at Tweek.

Tweek could feel his blood boil, his hands balling up into fists as he clenched his teeth together. He stomped his feet amongst the soil as he followed behind for a while before he broke out into a brisk jog.

He joined Craig at his side and grabbed his other hand, watching how Thomas glared at him with a look of distaste.

“I was starting to get worried that you wouldn’t come,” Craig kept his voice low as he glanced down at Tweek with a smirk on his face. “But I’m glad you’re here.”

Sure, Tweek was still furious. But there was a part of him that absolutely hated seeing Craig have someone else at his side that wasn’t him.

“Craig,” Thomas spoke up as he tugged on Craig’s hand, a coy smile curling on his lips while his eyes stared daggers at Tweek. “Does he have to-  _ shit-  _ come with us?

“Actually,” Craig stopped walking and turned his attention towards the dark blonde at his left. “I’d like to have a moment of Tweek’s time alone so he and I can discuss a few private matters.”

“ _ What? _ ”

“I’d like for you to show our other guests around.”

Thomas fumed with hatred as he looked behind him at the brunette and the blonde who stood there simply staring in confusion. He noticed how Astra was staring at him, each head tilted in confusion as her tail wagged happily.

“ _ Why?  _ And besides _ , _ ” he pointed at Kenny, “ _ he _ already-  _ shit _ \- knows this place!”

“I told you,” Craig turned his attention back to Tweek as he smiled softly, his thumb brushing over his knuckles. “I’d like to speak to Tweek in private for a moment.”

Thomas let go of Craig’s hand in a fury of motions but quickly composed himself as he offered up a venomous smile in Tweek’s direction. He got on his tiptoes and gave Craig a light kiss on the cheek, watching how Craig’s tanned skin singed a light shade of pink on his cheeks, “right. I understa-  _ cock _ \- understand. But don’t keep me waiting for too long okay?”

Craig nodded slightly before he wiggles himself free of the hold Thomas had on his hand before he lead Tweek further down the path with Astra trotting along behind, giving Thomas a slight growl from each head as she passed him. Thomas watched momentarily as his face contorted in rage before he turned towards Clyde and Kenny, faking the best smile he could muster. 

“You two get to come with-  _ fuck-  _ me.”

Kenny swallowed nervously as he leaned in towards Clyde and whispered in his ear, “things just got ten times more interesting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> A few things today :
> 
> 1) I’ve never written Thomas before so I hope I did okay. In that aspect. 
> 
> 2) Craig and Thomas were in a relationship before that is now an on again, off again thing. (Currently kind of on again.)
> 
> 3) Clyde being Hercules was inspired by phone destroyer. 
> 
> But it means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this story a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


	15. All To Myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Although he felt happy he also felt jealous. He felt jealous of the blonde that was on Craig’s arm, jealous of the way the Satyr leaned against Craig and just… well… Tweek was just jealous of him for even being there. And that was something Tweek never thought he would be.
> 
> Especially not over Craig.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my Tumblr account :
> 
> https://asherwritesastory.tumblr.com/
> 
> I’m accepting writing prompts so feel free to suggest some things!

It was funny really, how seeing him again and holding his hand… seeing his smile and just looking into his eyes… made Tweek forget all about the anger he had previously felt for him. It made Tweek remember just how happy Craig had made him and he realized he really couldn’t stay mad at him for long.

But although he felt happy he also felt jealous. He felt jealous of the blonde that was on Craig’s arm, jealous of the way the Satyr leaned against Craig and just… well… Tweek was just jealous of him for even being there. And that was something Tweek never thought he would be.

Especially not over Craig.

Because Craig broke his heart, Craig left him. And yet somehow Tweek cast all of that aside the second he stood next to Craig and felt his skin again as he had his arms wrapped tightly around one of the god’s biceps. 

“Tweek I-“

“I miss you!”

Craig froze and looked down at the blonde, wide eyed and a raised brow.

And Tweek? Well Tweek realized what he had done. He sank to the ground, pulled his knees to his chest and did his best to hide his face behind his hands as embarrassment creeped up on him, turning his face a bright shade of red that made his freckles stand out.

Craig sat next to him, wrapped his arms around Tweek’s shoulders and pulled him to his chest as he hugged him. He stroked his hair, he kissed the top of his head.

“I’ve missed you too.” Craig kept his voice quiet.

Tweek lifted his head slightly, glancing up at him and smiling brightly. It was a smile so bright, and so warm that Craig felt his body relax, felt butterflies in his stomach and felt a smile creeping up on his face. 

“Craig…” Tweek leaned against him but still refusing eye contact. Still refusing to look Craig in those pretty blue eyes that seemed to simply hypnotize him. “Who- Who was that guy you were with?”

“You mean Thomas?”

Tweek nodded.

“He’s… well…” Craig scratched the back of his head. “He’s an on again, off again boyfriend. He’s someone my parents like and someone who my friends and the other gods hate. Right now he’s simply filling a void.”

“A void?”

Craig nodded, suddenly finding himself unable to look at Tweek. Instead he choose to stare off into the distance at the glistening waters of the river that sat before them.

“Craig?”

“I’ve missed you, Tweek. You’re the void I was trying to fill by going back to an ex boyfriend… but now that I’m seeing you again, hearing your voice,  _ holding _ you…” Craig’s voice trailed off as he buried his face in the crook of Tweek’s neck, the slight stubble on his chin causing Tweek to giggle slightly as it brushed against his skin. “But now that you’re back I-“

“I never said I was coming back Craig…”

“But-“

“You left me! You left me heartbroken and alone! And- and then I get a letter from you who knows how long later saying you wanted to explain everything? What makes you think I would ever-“

“I’ll give it all up if it means I’ll get to be with you again…”

Tweek blinked, shocked and confused as he knitted his eyebrows together, as he tried his best to comprehend what exactly Craig had just said to him. “Beg your pardon?”

“If you’ll have me back… I- I promise I won’t run off anymore. I promise I won’t break your heart ever again. I’ll leave all of this behind… if you would want me to…”

“Craig,” Tweek put his hands on Craig’s shoulders and pushed him an arm’s length away. He stared at him with big green eyes and a conflicted look on his face before moving his hands to cup Craig’s face and Craig put his hands on Tweek’s wrists while leaning into Tweek’s touch while letting his eyes close. “Don’t do that.”

“But-“

“I would never ask you to give up any of this for me. All I want is your honesty, I want to know you’re going to be there for me, and that you’re never going to lie or run away from me again. Can- can you do that?”

Craig nodded. He nodded and he smiled and he leaned forward to press his lips lightly to Tweek’s, who let out a little sigh as he relaxed. He could feel Craig let go of his wrists, could feel his arms snake around his waist as he held him close.

It was nice, and it was comforting.

But it also caused every single emotion that Tweek was feeling for Craig before to come flooding back to him. It made him feel happy, feel safe, feel the butterflies in his tummy and he felt dizzy.

Not bad dizzy though, it was a good dizzy. Like the type of dizzy one gets when they’re so in love with someone that they can barely see straight or barely even focus on anything other than the person who is on their mind.

And as for Craig? Well Craig was definitely feeling a certain type of way that he never felt with Thomas. He felt good, he felt happy… he felt like the void within him was being filled with the missing piece. And it was good. Craig never wanted to let this feeling go… not now, or ever again. 

“Come back home with me…” Tweek murmured quietly as he and Craig parted to catch their breaths. But even as they did that Craig continued to pepper a trail of kisses along Tweek’s jaw and down his throat, occasionally nipping at his pale skin. 

“I have to finish a few things here first…”

“But you’ll come back with me right?”

Craig pulled away and looked at Tweek’s face, looked at those big green doe eyes and the hopeful little smile on his face. 

“I will… buy one day you may wake up and I’ll be gone. Know it isn’t permanent, I just have a job I must do but I’ll always come back.”

“As long as you tell me you’ve gone it won’t bother me.”

“You’re always welcome to come back with me though.”

Tweek smiled and hugged Craig tightly around the neck. It was good to know he would be coming back with him. It was good to know that they were going to work through everything and that they would finally have each other again.

“What about your parents?” Tweek mumbled into Craig’s shoulder.

“They’ll get over it,” Craig kissed right under Tweek’s ear as he rubbed circles on his back in a reassuring manner. “But I must leave you briefly.”

“Huh?” Tweek sat up and looked at Craig’s face, “why?”

“I have to talk to Thomas and I have a few other things I must do first.”

Craig stood and leaned down to kiss the top of Tweek’s head as he started his way back down the hill. “I’ll be back, shouldn’t be long.”

“I’ll be waiting for you then.”

“Shouldn’t be too long.”

Tweek watched as Craig’s form grew smaller and smaller until he disappeared out of his sight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> It means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this story a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


	16. Together With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He knew it wasn’t going to be easy but he was hoping that he would at least have everyone’s support, or at least an understanding, when the time came for him to tell them.
> 
> The only thing that was making this easier was the thought of Tweek. Just being able to be with him, and talk to him, and hold him… Tweek made everything seem okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my Tumblr account :
> 
> https://asherwritesastory.tumblr.com/
> 
> I’m accepting writing prompts so feel free to suggest some things!

Craig was merely pacing back and forth, hands behind his back, as he grumbled a bunch of incoherent things to himself. He needed to think of the best possible way to go about discussing everything that was happening with those he surrounded himself with: his parents, his sister… and Thomas.

He knew it wasn’t going to be easy but he was hoping that he would at least have everyone’s support, or at least an understanding, when the time came for him to tell them.

The only thing that was making this easier was the thought of Tweek. Just being able to be with him, and talk to him, and hold him… Tweek made everything seem okay.

Letting out a long, shaky breath, he turned on his heels and made his way towards the masses. Made his way towards the souls waiting to be transported to the Underworld and into his base of operations.

Because Craig wasn’t cruel, he made sure everyone had a job to do while in his domain. He made sure everyone kept busy instead of floating around in an endless pit for all of eternity.

“Brother!” Trish seemed surprised to see him as she shuffled everything on her desk aside and stood up, hurrying to his side. “You seem, I don’t know, stressed? Probably not the word I’m looking for but you get the idea.”

“Where’s mom and dad?”

“Beats me,” Tricia shrugged. “Your guess is as good as my own in this situation.”

“Great…” Craig sat against a wall, letting his back slide down the cool marbled surface until he was sitting in the tiled floor. His knees to his chest and his head back as he looked up at the ceiling.

“Perhaps I can help.”

He saw the smile creeping up on her face as she sat down next to him. He could see a twinkle of magic sparking to life in her eyes while the gears turned in her head.

“Doubtful.”

The look that crossed his sister’s face was one of shock, anger, and frustration as she stared him down. 

“Nonsense. I’m a great listener and you look like you could use someone like that right now.”

Craig through for a moment as he scratched his chin, staring off into the distance before finally casting his gaze over towards his younger sister, “I’m going back.”

“Going back…  _ where? _ ”

Craig looked up before pointing up with his finger, his eyes shifting back over towards Tricia. He watched how her face twisted in confusion before realization dawned on her. She smacked Craig on the shoulder, which he instantly rubbed and scowled at her, “are you insane?!”

“No?”

“Then why would you-“ Craig placed a hand over her mouth to silence her.

“Stop shouting.”

She pushed his hand aside as she rolled her eyes, nodding in agreement to her brother’s words, “okay. Fine, whatever. Just tell me why.”

“It won’t be forever…” Craig leaned against a wall, sliding down until he was in a seated position with his knees to his chest, “just- I would spend my time between here and up there with him. Dad sent me away for a rea-“

“Indeed I did.”

The siblings looked towards the direction of the voice, Tricia straightening her back when she looked at her father standing there. His arms crossed as he leaned against the archway.

“Dad I-“

Thomas held out a hand in his son’s direction as he stepped forward towards his children, eventually stopping a few feet away from Craig, “is it true?”

Craig’s head hung down, eyes cast downwards at the floor as his bangs fell forward. He couldn’t speak, he opened his mouth but the words just wouldn’t come. So instead he just nodded and hoped for the best to come his way.

“Why?”

“I’m sorry dad…” he eventually managed to look up. His voice was broken and defeated, so quiet and soft as opposed to the way he usually composed himself. 

“But I-“

“You love him, don’t you?”

Craig looked between Tricia, his father, and the floor as he tried to think of what to say. He didn’t want to lie, but he wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to tell the truth.

But if he was being honest with himself, he knew that he  _ did _ love him. Craig knew that he loved Tweek more than anything else in the whole entire plane of existence.

So instead he nodded and quietly said, “yes.”

The room was quiet. So quiet, in fact, that one would be able to hear a pin drop. Craig could feel his heartbeat quicken as nerves overtook him. He had never felt this way before, never felt his father stare at him so intently before. 

And it scared him.

“Are-“ he looked up, glancing at his father through his hair. “Are you mad?”

“No.”

“So then-?”

“Craig, son, I want you to be happy. But I always want you to remember where you came from and where your roots are.”

“I’m well aware of all of that but I really can’t control how I feel about someone.”

Thomas offered up a slight smile before sitting down next to his son against the wall, placing a hand on his boy’s shoulder, “I want you to be happy. But I also want you to remember that you’ve got a job to do.”

“I know.”

No one said a word. Craig choosing to avoid eye contact with everyone in the room as his father sat in silence beside him.

Until eventually the older man stood, looking down at Craig with a gentle smile on his face, “I’m proud of you son.”

Craig raised a brow as he stared at his father for what seemed like a never ending eternity, “why?”

Thomas said nothing. Instead he continued to smile before leaving his kids sitting alone in the room as he made his way out.

“What did he mean when he said he was proud of you?”

Craig looked at his sister before shrugging and running a hand through his hair. Truth be told Craig had no idea what his dad was even talking about but he didn’t want to question it. He didn’t even want to overthink the situation. So instead he took the word choice for what it was as he stood up.

“Hey, where are you going?” Tricia rushed to his side and tugged on the fabric draped across his chest.

“Tweek.”

“Tweek?”

Craig nodded, “he’s in trouble.”

Tricia followed after her brother with worry spread across her face as the two ran down the narrow hallway their father had just disappeared down minutes before.

And as for Craig? His face was filled with rage and anger. His eyes ablaze with a bright blue glow as he grit his teeth together.

He needed to reach Tweek in time. He needed to make sure he was okay. Because Craig couldn’t let anything happen to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> It means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this story a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


	17. Never Letting Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But instead of being greeted by Craig’s warm welcome he was instead greeted with a low hissing noise and quiet gurgles coming from somewhere inside the room. And there were footsteps. Footsteps that were barely even there but still existed if you really tuned out every other noise and listened carefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my Tumblr account :
> 
> https://asherwritesastory.tumblr.com/
> 
> I’m accepting writing prompts so feel free to suggest some things!

Tweek sat on the grassy knoll, watching the river flow with small waves behind him as the sun started to set along the horizon. It was beautiful really, watching the orange hues bounce off the water, the dimming light making the water sparkle and shine as it moved. 

He moved his hand over a brown patch of grass, bringing back the vibrant green color while causing small blue wildflowers to bloom.

Tweek smiled softly to himself at the sudden burst of life. It was a nice feeling to see that happen right before his eyes. No matter how many times he did this he didn’t ever think he would be able to get use to it. 

He could hear the quiet approach of footsteps, he could see a figure approaching him. So he stood and smiled as he waved. He hoped it was Craig… because Craig had been gone for what felt like an utter eternity. 

“Hi Craig I-“

His smile faltered a little job the realization that it actually wasn’t Craig approaching him. Matter of fact it was Thomas making his way in Tweek’s general direction. 

“Craig told me- shit- to come get you,” Thomas smiled at him all while avoiding the other blonde’s gaze. “So if you’d be so kind as to follow me.”

He didn’t even wait for Tweek to stand as he started making his way back down the hill just as quickly as he had appeared. 

So Tweek scrambled to his feet and hurried after Thomas, nearly tripping with every few steps until he eventually managed to find his footing.

It was strange to him, really, how Craig had sent Thomas to fetch him. But he assumed that Craig was busy, tied up in other important affairs that required his attention and couldn’t break away. So he wasn’t going to complain. Matter of fact, maybe he could use this as the perfect opportunity to get to know Thomas a little better. 

“So Thomas I-“

“I’d much rather- cock- not speak if you don’t- fuck- mind.”

The harshness of his tone and the brazenness of the way he was speaking caught Tweek off guard. He was only trying to be friendly, to take this opportunity to speak to Thomas on a friendly level… but of course Tweek could understand where he was coming from. Craig had picked Tweek over him. So maybe there was that underlying hint of jealousy taking over. Tweek couldn’t say he blamed him though, he would feel the exact same way. Matter of fact he actually did feel that way when he saw Thomas on Craig’s arm for the very first time. 

So instead of trying to speak again Tweek simply chewed on his bottom lip and kept his eyes forward as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“He’ll be in- fuck- here.”

Thomas held open a door for Tweek and smiled at him. There was a twinkle in his eye that made Tweek feel uneasy, it made his stomach flip, and he couldn’t quite pinpoint the reason why. Perhaps it was just a gut feeling, but he was always told to listen to his gut.

So why exactly was he going against his gut feeling and walking inside the dimly lit building that Thomas had led him to? Was it because he had said that Craig would be there waiting? Possibly. But the real reason was forever going to be a mystery floating around in his head.

“Thank you Th-“ Tweek turned to smile at him but the door was already closed and Tweek found himself standing there, all alone, in this place that was so unfamiliar and unknown to him.

He let out a long, shaky breath as he started to make his way down the corridor. It was cold for being in the underworld, and to him that was strange in a way. Just one more question he had floating around in his head that would remain unanswered.

“Hello?” He wrapped his arms around himself, hugging himself tightly in order to retain the warmth he had flowing through him. “Craig, are you here?”

Somewhere off in the distance Tweek could hear footsteps and what he could only assume to be soft breathing or groaning. So he followed the noises, making sure he was staying quiet as to not lose his lead. 

Until he found himself standing face to face with a metal door. But the weird part about all of this was that the door was locked. It was deadbolted and locked solid.

But that didn’t stop Tweek. Oh no. Matter of fact it just made him all the more curious. So Tweek used every ounce of strength he had in his body to open the door. And when he eventually did he found himself standing in the freezing cold with the door slamming shut behind him without any given warning.

“Hello?” His eyes scanned the darkness of his surroundings, “Craig? Hello? Are you here?”

But instead of being greeted by Craig’s warm welcome he was instead greeted with a low hissing noise and quiet gurgles coming from somewhere inside the room. And there were footsteps. Footsteps that were barely even there but still existed if you really tuned out every other noise and listened carefully.

Tweek grabbed the door handle, trying his hardest to get out. But it was all a useless, fruitless attempt as his banging, cries and pleads for freedom went unheard. But the noises that were behind him only got louder and louder as they approached. 

Tweek turned around in a fit of fear only to find dark beings with gnashing teeth and claws making their way in his direction. And he hated it. Everything about this was causing his anxiety to go into overdrive, he could even feel a panic attack coming on in any given moment. It wasn’t worth it. None of this was worth it. It was all terrible and gut wrenching. He couldn’t believe that Craig even wanted him to come here! What even was this place?! Why were there just… just… these  _ things _ wandering around in this room that was locked solid?! And okay sure the door was locked for a reason but that was absolutely no excuse for any of this!

Tweek gripped at his hair tightly, slid his back down the metal door and pulled his knees up to his chest. He couldn’t handle this. He couldn’t handle any of this. This was some sort of sick joke wasn’t it? Was Craig trying to be funny? Because this was harsh and he didn’t appreciate any of this!

His emotions were growing stronger as he tried his best to hide. Tried his best to shelter himself away from the world around him. But he was crying and panicking and his vision was blurry. He didn't even realize the tree roots pushing their way up out of the ground to create a protective barrier in front of him. He didn’t realize that he was going to be safe.

_ “Tweek?!” _

He could hear footsteps and what sounded like a voice. He couldn’t make out what they were saying and he couldn’t make out who was saying it but Tweek was positive that he could, in fact, hear someone speaking somewhere in the distance.

_ “Tweek where the hell are you?!” _

_ “Craig calm do-“ _

_ “Don’t tell me to calm down Tricia, Tweek is in trouble!” _

_ “I understand that but- wait… look over there!” _

The solid metal door was overrun with white tree branches and a brilliant shade of green leaves. Craig had never seen anything quite like it before, but that was all he needed to know that Tweek was behind the door.  _ That _ door. Why in the name of fuck did it have to be that door out of all of them he could choose to wander in to?

_ “Hold on Tweek, I’m going to get you out of there!” _

It registered that Craig was standing on the outside of the door. He was trying to help! Tweek found himself coming down from whatever mindset he found himself in as he did his best to focus on his breathing. Craig was outside the door. Craig was going to  _ save  _ him.

_ “If you’re in there Tweek please let me know you’re okay!” _

Tweek nodded, realizing shortly thereafter that Craig was unable to see him. So he cleared his throat and tried again, “ye- yeah. I- I’m here.”

_ “I’m going to get you out of there okay? Just- just stay calm and don’t make any sudden movements.” _

Again, Tweek found himself nodding as he did his best to get his breathing under control. He focused on calming his racing heart beat, and making sure his mind stopped racing at a million miles a minute.

Everything about this was just so surreal that he couldn’t even believe that this was happening right now. But Craig was there, he was going to help him!

And before he knew it, he found himself being pulled into a pair of strong arms. He found himself being comforted with a familiar feeling of warmth that was washing over him. Tweek couldn’t help it. He wrapped his arms around Craig’s neck and held him tightly as he buried his face into the fabric draped across Craig’s shoulder to hide his face. He didn’t want Craig to see that he was crying.

“Tweek, hey,” he could feel Craig rubbing his back in a reassuring way. He could feel him nuzzle his nose into his hair as he continued to hold him tightly to his chest. “It’s okay now, I’m here.”

“Please,  _ please,  _ don’t leave me alone any more.” Tweek sounded so broken when he spoke. He held Craig as tight as he could. He knew his nails were digging into the other man’s skin but he truly didn’t even care anymore. He never wanted to let Craig go.

“I won’t Tweek,” Craig glanced up at his sister with a worried look on his face before planting a gentle kiss on the top of Tweek’s head. “I won’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> It means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this chapter a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


	18. Thinking Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wasn’t entirely sure who had caused Tweek to wander into that room but he wasn’t too happy with them. Matter of fact he was furious that this entire situation had even happened at all. 
> 
> But the silence was killing him. He needed to say something, anything, to break the tension, so he did. “Alright...who did it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my Tumblr account :
> 
> https://asherwritesastory.tumblr.com/
> 
> I’m accepting writing prompts so feel free to suggest some things!

The fact that it had lead to this, sitting in a meeting room while hugging a terrified Tweek closely to himself while comforting the blonde as he glared daggers at everyone else in the room, was enough to say just how Craig’s night was going. 

No one was speaking, instead choosing to just sit in silence while Thomas kept his hands folded on the table, filling his son’s lead and looking at everyone in the room. Laura drummed her freshly manicured fingers on the metal surface while Trish had her cheek resting in her palm with her elbow resting firmly on the table.

Clyde day there nervously while Kenny leaned back, feet up on the desk and hands folded behind his head as he looked around… looking anywhere that wasn’t one of the members of the Tucker family.

Thomas, however, sat quietly beside Laura as one of his legs bounced up and down anxiously. He avoided any form of eye contact with everyone in the room, instead choosing to look down at his lap.

Craig, however, was fuming. His hair a bright shade of blue as it swayed back at forth like a flame blowing in the wind. His eyes were simmering with nothing but anger and hatred as he continued to look everyone over.

He wasn’t entirely sure who had caused Tweek to wander into that room but he wasn’t too happy with them. Matter of fact he was furious that this entire situation had even happened at all. 

But the silence was killing him. He needed to say something, anything, so he did. “Alright...who did it?”

All eyes shot to him, even Tweek’s. The blonde placed a hand on Craig’s knee and gave a light squeeze while the other sat on his lap.

“Son-“

“No,” Craig shot his eyes to his father before turning his attention back to everyone else in the room. “I want to know who did it and I want to know  _ now. _ ”

Tweek tugged on Craig’s shirt gently which caused him to look down at the blonde with a soft, barely there, smile on his face. 

“Thomas lead me to the building.”

Craig’s eyes shot forward, there was a fire burning within them as he stood up in a flurry of motions and his hair grew brighter the angrier he got. Tweek Hughes his tightly around the waist, buried his face into Craig’s back… he was doing everything in his power to hold him back and to stop him from blowing up on someone.

“You did  **_what_ ** _?! _ ”

“Whoa whoa- shit- take it easy!” Thomas held his hands up in defense as he stood and backed away slowly. “I took him there- fuck- yes… but I didn’t lead him  _ there. _ ”

Tweek could feel Craig’s body shaking with rage. He could see the way he was gripping at the table and causing the metal to indent around his fingertips. Hell, Tweek could practically see the metal melting under Craig’s palms.

“Why would you do that Thomas?” Laura looked at the young man with in kind manner with a motherly, yet dastardly, tone in her voice. “What has Tweek done to you?”

Thomas said nothing, instead choosing to snicker to himself before erupting into a hearty laugh that was filled with malice and venom as he stared at Tweek with rage in his eyes, “you took him!”

 

“Excuse me?”

“You- cock- took him from me!”

Craig’s hands fell through the melted away table, his bangs fell over his eyes as he continued to stare and seethe in anger. When he went to open his mouth to speak he was cut off by the most unexpected person; the last person he actually expected to say anything at all.

“I didn’t take anyone from you…” Tweek sounded angry, maybe even as angry as Craig felt. But when Craig looked down he was shocked to see Tweek taking a stand as he tightly clenched his fists together. “Craig  _ choose _ me, get over yourself.”

The way Tweek was presenting himself was different. He wasn’t like himself, oh no. He was so different, his eyes shifting to that of nothing more than anger, his usual happy smile contorting into a scowl, there was a poisonous tone hanging on to every word he spoke. 

“Come again?”

“He,” Tweek took this opportunity to poke Craig in his chest, “choose me!” And then he pointed at himself. “Get over yourself.” And lastly he pointed at Thomas. It seemed unnecessary but he was doing it to get his point across. And he had a pretty strong hunch that he did so considering all eyes were staring at him.

“Tweek,” Craig tugged at his hand as he pulled him away from the others in the room. He pulled him out of the door and into the hallway so it could just be the two of them.

But the second they were alone Tweek collapsed into Craig’s arms. He held him tightly in a hug that he had been wanting to give him for so long. It had been a whirlwind of a day filled with so many twists and turns that he just needed to know that Craig was actually there and this wasn’t just a dream.

“Are you okay?” Craig’s voice was a whisper. He rubbed Tweek’s back in small circles and nuzzled his nose into his hair while kissing the top of his head.

“I am now.”

“Good. That’s good.”

They stayed silent for a long time, just standing there holding one another for what seemed like an eternity until someone decided to join them. But neither minded, they were in their own little world where it was just the two of them and no one else even mattered.

“Craig?” That is… until Laura decided to invade his and Tweek’s space by touching her brother’s arm. “Son we need to talk.”

“Then talk.”

The blonde crossed her arms and looked between the two boys, knowing it would be a fruitless attempt to try and argue with her oldest.

“Craig we need you to-“

“He’ll stay…” Tweek looked between Laura and Craig, “and I’ll go.”

Craig pulled apart from Tweek and looked down at him with shock and sadness written across every feature on his face.

This was unexpected.

“Come again?”

“Craig you’re way too important to be away from here, I saw what you do… you keep this place running! Plus it’s your job and you can’t abandon that.”

“But-“

“I’m not finished.”

Craig shut his mouth and nodded, letting Tweek continue.

“I have school… I’m so busy all the time that I feel like I’d hardly spend any time with you. However,” Tweek got on his tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Craig’s chin. “I’ll come back every time I have a break and I’ll spend every day with you. And I mean, yeah, if you want to stop by and visit every so often I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to that either, but I’m not letting you give up any of,” he gestured all around them with his arms stretched out wide, “this.”

Craig understood. He did. So he nodded slowly and pulled Tweek back to his chest in a light hug and he kissed his forehead. “We’ll make it work.”

“We most certainly will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> It means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this chapter a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


	19. Continuing On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tweek wrapped his arms around Craig’s waist and nuzzled his face into his chest, taking in his scent of pine and what Tweek could only describe as a freshly lit fire. But he liked it.
> 
> “Before you go can I ask you something?”
> 
> Craig looked down at the blonde buried amongst his chest as he raised a brow.
> 
> “My dad is coming by tomorrow...”
> 
> Craig’s face went pale, the color draining instantly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there. Check out my Tumblr account :
> 
> https://asherwritesastory.tumblr.com/

The months without Tweek were lonely in Craig’s end. Sometimes he found himself sneaking away just to go pop in on one of his classes, to give him a hug or to just be near him.

They would go on coffee dates and spend time in Tweek’s dorm with his friends, which also meant Craig got to reacquaint himself with Clyde, and that was nice.

Token was taking things incredibly well on his end as well, and that was also a plus in Tweek’s eyes.

His friends and his boyfriend were all getting along and those were the things that were most important.

“So how long are you staying this time?” Token asked as he picked up a slice of pizza from the box they had on the coffee table in front of them.

It was Craig’s third visit in a matter of months and Tweek’s friends had come to expect him to be over. It wasn’t like they minded though, having Craig around made Tweek happy and they liked seeing Tweek happy. 

“Probably until tomorrow… I have a lot of work I still need to get done and I don’t exactly want to leave my sister in charge for any longer than I have.”

Tweek wrapped his arms around Craig’s waist and nuzzled his face into his chest, taking in his scent of pine and what Tweek could only describe as a freshly lit fire. But he liked it.

“Before you go can I ask you something?”

Craig looked down at the blonde buried amongst his chest as he raised a brow.

“My dad is coming by tomorrow to get some lunch with me… it’s just something we try to do once a month and I would really love for you to meet him.”

Craig’s face went pale, the color draining instantly. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he tried to process all of this. Tweek wanted him to meet his dad. Like actually meet his father. That was a huge step forward in their relationship. That meant they were getting more serious, right? But what if Tweek’s dad didn’t approve of him? Then what would happen? Maybe he would make them break up or-

“Hey Craig?” Tweek shook his shoulder gently. “Craig are you alright?”

Craig blinked a few times and looked over at Tweek, somehow managing to find the strength to nod his head.

“What’s wrong?”

“Yeah man you got incredibly pale all of a sudden and that was super weird.”

He appreciated Token and Clyde’s concerns. Truly he did. It was nice to know that he had people in his life who actually gave a damn about him. 

“I uh,” he scratched the top of his head as he sat forward. “I’m fine. But just so I can make sure I heard you right… you want me to meet your dad?”

Tweek nodded as he smiled. “Yes, that’s correct.”

Okay, so he didn’t mishear what Tweek said. Which out Craig into even more of a panic. He had to meet his boyfriend’s dad and get said dad’s approval. And Craig would also have to be on his best behavior too, which wasn’t that hard he just hated doing it.

But appearances were appearances no matter how fake or forced they needed to be.

At least that’s what his dad would always tell him. 

“So what time then?”

Tweek hugged Craig tightly around the neck, “yay!” Then he kissed him on the cheek which caused Craig’s cheeks to turn a bright shade of red, almost as if there was a fire being ignited inside of his body.

Tweek turned his attention over to both Clyde and Token, smiling a bright smile that caused the flowers on the kitchen counter to lean in his direction, “do you guy’s mind if Craig stays here tonight?”

Did Craig hear  _ that _ correctly?

“I’m going over to Bebe’s so I don’t care.”

“I don’t mind,” Token looked at them both. “Just remember that my room is right next to yours though.”

Craig choked on his own spit.

“Jesus Token!” Tweek all but shouted as he started lightly hitting Craig on the back to assist him with his problem.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.” He went to the kitchen to get Craig a glass of water, returning promptly and handing it over.

“It’s okay, you’re fine… just,” Craig coughed once more before taking a long sip from the cup. “That was something I wasn’t expecting is all.”

“Not was I…”

“Just making sure we’re all on the same page here.”

“No, yeah, we are. Wasn’t thinking about doing anything like that anyway…”

The room stayed silent after that.

* * *

Tweek wasn’t sure how much time had passed but Clyde had left maybe an hour ago, and Token had retired to his room to get some sleep not too long after.

Which left Craig and Tweek alone on the couch, cuddled up under a blanket watching some terrible romcom that Tweek had stumbled upon while channel surfing.

“Why are we watching this?” Craig asked again for what seemed like the hundredth time.

“Hush, it’s good.”

“But I don’t understand what’s happening.”

Tweek held a finger up to Craig’s mouth to silence him, and Craig took the opportunity to lightly kiss him, and wrap his arms around his waist

“What are you doing?”

“Giving you a kiss?”

“Then give me a proper one.”

Tweek pulled his hand away from Craig’s face and moved in a little closer, setting his hands in Craig’s knees as the two turned to face one another. And Craig followed suit, placing his hands on Tweek’s thighs before leaning down and giving him a gentle kiss on the lips.

Then he pulled away, listening to how Tweek let out a quiet whine as he did so.

“Why'd you stop?”

“Because Token said he-“

“He won’t hear us Craig, and besides,” Tweek pecked his boyfriend’s lips quickly. “It’s just kissing Craig… what’s the worst that could possibly happen?”

A bunch of different scenarios ran through Craig’s head. He knew he was overthinking something as simple as this but he couldn’t help himself. But it wasn’t like he hadn’t kissed Tweek before… he had done it a lot actually. But this time was different. He felt his stomach doing flips and his heartbeat was quickening in his chest.

Maybe it was because it had been awhile since the two had seen one another?

Yeah, definitely. That had to be it.

Right?

The light feeling of Tweek kissing at his neck pulled him back to reality as he looked up at the ceiling and moved his hands up under Tweek’s shirt. He listened to him breathe out heavily against his skin before letting out a soft giggle.

“That tickles.”

“What tickles?”

“Your hands… it's just… that tickles is all.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

A light peck on the lips was all Tweek needed to do to soothe Craig’s nerves, “don’t apologize.”

Maybe it was the thought of Token being mad at them if he were to catch them or the fact that in just a few short hours he was going to meet Tweek’s dad.

Whatever his reasons were for being so out of it were beyond him but he needed to get himself together and pull through all of this. 

So he took a few deep breaths and stood up. He held out a hand to Tweek and offered up a smile, “let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

Craig didn’t say anything as he helped Tweek up to his feet. What he did do, however, was lead him down the hallway to the blonde’s bedroom which earned him another giggle from the blonde before him before he wrapped his arms around Craig’s chest and buried his face in his back.

“What do you plan on doing?”

“More kisses.”

“In my room?”

“Token won’t see us then. And maybe you can help me calm my nerves some…”

So Tweek kicked the door shut behind him once he stepped foot into his room. Any time he could get with Craig he was going to take and he certainly liked the sound of what Craig had said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone.
> 
> It means so much to me that you decided to take some time out of your day to give this chapter a read.
> 
> Feedback is, as always, welcomed and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you.


End file.
